The Devil's Kitchen
by RachelJLewis
Summary: In the hottest summer for years, the heat and pressure is increasing on Christian Grey as journalist Marnie Moore sets out to investigate Seattle's Big Six CEOs. His past makes an inconvenient bid for freedom, causing headaches for Christian, heartbreak for Ana and the dramatic settling of an old score. Story follows on from Light and Shade. NO CHEATING.
1. Prologue

A/N: Set one year after the epilogue in _Fifty Shades Freed_ and follows on from the events in my stories _Light and Shade_ and _Scarlet and Grey. _The one-shot _Walking Away_ acts as a prequel to _The Devil's Kitchen_.

I really hope you enjoy this story and I'd love any feedback that you can give.

* * *

**THE DEVIL'S KITCHEN**

**Prologue**

**11.35pm. April 4****th****, 1992  
**

She hid under her quilt. But it didn't block out the sound of male hand connecting with female skin in the bedroom next door. Nor did it mask the occasional, pleading 'stop' that mommy uttered to no avail. He never stopped. Not until he was exhausted and even then he sometimes started again after he'd thought of something else to beat her about. Some nights there were other sounds too. Not the slap of flesh on skin, but the bang of wooden headboard against the wall. But that wasn't happening tonight. Tonight was all about what mommy had done wrong. Her dress was cut too low, he said, and 'everybody' could see her breasts. Andrea could only see the slight hint of the shadow between the two but perhaps if you were tall like daddy, you could indeed see mommy's breasts. Later on mommy had answered the phone and burned the dinner. He hadn't liked that. After dinner, Reverend Peters had stopped by and she'd 'made eyes' at him. Andrea didn't notice mommy making eyes at Reverend Peters. She and her best friend Connie made eyes, seeing who could open theirs the widest and stare for longest. Mommy hadn't done that; she'd simply looked at Reverend Peters when he'd spoken to her. But mommy could never do anything right.

More recently, neither could Andrea and as the slapping next door stopped, Andrea buried herself deeper under the covers fearful of what might come next. She shut her eyes and lay as still as she could. If she pretended to be asleep maybe he wouldn't do the same to her. That and the even worse thing he did. Her hand found the buttons at the top of her pajama jacket and she grasped them tightly. Her heart was pounding and because of that he'd realize that she wasn't asleep.

She listened intently as his footsteps came out of the bedroom. She heard the stifled sobs from mommy, the familiar sound of a cigarette being lit and the even more familiar sound of the door handle to her bedroom being turned. Andrea screwed up her eyes and prayed as hard as she could that tonight would be different, that tonight he would leave her alone. Please God. Please? Tomorrow was her eighth birthday.

But God was not answering the prayers of a little girl tonight. The smell of beer and tobacco hit her just a moment before her Daddy's hand did and Andrea Parker tried fruitlessly to wriggle free as he yanked back the covers.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1  
Saturday June 20****th****, 2015**

Elena Lincoln left the Bravern Center branch of Esclava. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to catching a late movie on a TV channel somewhere. She walked through the elegant forecourt and out to her car parked on an adjacent street. Just before she reached it a familiar voice called out behind her.

"Elena."

She stopped, took a deep breath and turned to face her ex-husband.

"Linc." She said impassively, keeping the dislike of him off her face and out of her voice. It didn't pay to piss off Wayne Lincoln, even now. "What brings you here?"

He shrugged and took a long drag on his cigarette. "A social call."

"At nearly nine on a Saturday night? Isn't there somewhere else you'd rather be?"

"Well, I guess my invitation to Carrick and Grace's fundraiser was lost in the mail. Then again, I guess yours was too. I heard Grace found out about you and the boy wonder."

"That's ancient history. I heard the boy wonder bankrupted you."

"That isn't ancient history. I'm back on my feet and out to get the little shit for what he did."

Elena gave a scoff. "You might as well piss in the wind Linc for all the good that will do."

"Which is why I'm here to see you." He pulled a rolled up magazine from his back pocket and unfurled it on the first page of the four-page article on Christian Grey by Katherine Kavanagh-Grey in today's _Seattle Times Magazine_. "You can't fail to have seen this. Must be a little galling to see him so obviously happy with someone else?"

"As I said, he's ancient history."  
"Oh, come on now, Elena," He drawled. "I know you better than that. You loved him, you told me that, remember?"

"Oh yes, so I did." Elena's voice dripped sarcasm. "Right before my face somehow connected with your fist."

"Let's not reopen old wounds, it's late and I'm in need of a beer."

"Old wounds? Would those be my wounds that needed the work of a surgeon to patch me up? Or, your mildly bruised ego, because Christian Grey was a better fuck than you?" Elena saw the rise of color in Linc's face and backed off. That was as far as she dared push him. But she was safe out here, there were people around. Wayne Lincoln did his wife-beating in private.

"I'll let that go," he spat. "But only because I want something from you." He took another drag on his cigarette. "I want back at Grey and I want your help with that."

"And why do you think I'll help you?"

"Because, _your_ ego took a bruising when the Greys ostracized you and because I know your little secret." He grinned.

"What little secret?"

"Your pretty boys, Elena. Was Grey the first, or just another in what's turning out to be a very long line?"

"Linc, we've been divorced for well over a decade and it's no concern of yours if I choose to sleep with the President of Uzbekistan. Do you think I'm remotely cowed because you've suddenly discovered that I've had boyfriends? I'm sure you haven't lived like a monk for the last ten years."

"I haven't. But the startling thing about yours is that they're all the same. All pretty boys in their mid-twenties; while you're what, fifty two now? Your neighbor Mrs. Walters notices these things."

"Does she now? So what? National outcry, woman screws younger man, catch it later on _News at Eleven_." Elena snapped back _sotto voce_. "Somebody prosecute Joan Collins and any other woman who dares to break the divine rule, that thou shalt only have sex with men older than you. Get a grip, Linc. If you're thinking of running to the _Seattle Times_ with this story, then you'll get laughed out of the state."

"I'm sure I will." He admitted, threw his cigarette on the sidewalk and ground it out with his boot. From his other pocket he drew a folded piece of paper. "Ever use the Internet, Elena? It's a marvelous invention, particularly Google. You can find anything on Google." He unfolded it in front of her. "Including pictures of you, in, shall we say, a compromising position?" He handed over the printed color photograph and in her chest her heart stopped in shock. How the hell had he gotten hold of this? Elena kept her face as neutral as she could. Not letting him see how much he got to you was the key with Linc.

The photo had been taken a long time ago. She was with Jonathan. But you couldn't see his face, just his naked buttocks and the identifying scar in the small of his back. But you could most definitely see her face, and her breasts, and most of the insides of her thighs, up to the point where they disappeared in front of Jonathan's head.

"Enjoying yourself? Sure looks like it. Is this how you get your kicks, Elena? Did you get Grey to do this to you as well? If I keep on searching Google, could I dig up pictures of him too? Or might you have those stored at home, so you can pine over what might have been, in private?"

Elena said nothing.

Linc continued. "Grey isn't perfect, despite the impression this article gives and the people of Seattle deserve to know, that even the richest of the rich have a past they're ashamed of. Help me get back at Grey and I won't send this to the _Seattle Times_ with a nice exposé about you and him into the bargain."

Elena recovered herself and straightened up. "So what do you want?"

"Off Grey? Compensation. Off you? Anything like this," he waved the paper at her. "Or anything else you can tell me about how he gets his sexual kicks. Sex sells, so Marnie tells me."

"Marnie? Marnie Moore?"

"The very same."

"She's back? You've seen her?"

"I'm dating her."

"_Ha!_ Now who's the one screwing a twenty-something! Is she even a twenty-something, yet?"

"She's twenty four."

"Really? No shit, where does the time go? Last time I saw her she'd have been, what… fourteen?" She furrowed her brow in distaste. "Does Tim know?"

"Hell, no."

"Well, I'm sure that will be one interesting _'Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend,'_ conversation. You're eight years older than Tim, and he's her father for God's sake."

Linc looked uncomfortable. "You can't help who you fall in love with."

"So how long have you been dating?"

"A few… weeks." He admitted.

Elena laughed. "That's not love, Linc, that's your cock finally getting some much-needed exercise. You can tell me it's love if a saggy old man like you is still turning her on in a years' time. The correct term is lust."

"And you know all about love, do you Elena? You who goes from boy to boy in the hope of what? Finding the perfect body? The perfect fuck? Or the perfect doppelganger of Christian Grey?"

"As you know I've been married before, Linc and these days I like my freedom."

"Very laudable. So, back to business…"

"Business? This has all the hallmarks of blackmail to me."

"Call it what you will. I want some ammunition on Grey and you're my best bet. Do this and I'll think about investing in your business."

"And what makes you so sure that I want your investment, or that I won't take the fall for him?"

"Because hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Or is it spurned? I don't know."

"Linc, that was years ago. As I said, it's ancient history. So he didn't feel the same way about me as I did for him. It's not a crime. I was sad, but I got over it. Go through his tax affairs or something."

"I did. The man's watertight."

Elena threw up her hands. "What do you expect? Sloppy Joe? This is Christian Grey we're talking about. The man doesn't dot his 'i's' with anything less than laser-guided precision. Take my advice, get over it and move on. You're back on your feet; you've got another business going, leave Christian alone for God's sake. Nobody wants their faces rubbed in what they were doing when they were nineteen."

"Or fifteen, even." Linc's face was suddenly harder. "There is a criminal case to answer concerning your inappropriate sexual relations with a minor, however successful or old he may be now. That's something no CEO would want known and I think Grey would pay handsomely for that. And, when I think about it, so might you. Gossip has a way of bringing down, not just the high and mighty, but the promising beauty business on the verge of expanding into Canada."

"You bastard."

"I sure am." Linc gloated. "Nothing changes. So are there photographs like this of Grey?"

"I couldn't be sure," She said sardonically. "There've been so many men. I'll have to check my files and get back to you."

"You do that." Linc lit another cigarette. "On the usual number. Or else I'll make use of Marnie's new job on the _Seattle Times_. Wonder what she'd say to seeing this picture of you, huh? Think about that babe." He turned and walked away.

Elena got into her car, threw her purse in the passenger foot well, jammed her key into the ignition and started the engine. Her heart was racing, she knew too much about her ex-husband's deviousness to ignore the fact that him poking about in anything – let alone a journalist - was bad news for her, bad news for anyone associated with her and, if Christian's past wasn't nailed-down, water-tight, air-tight and bomb-proof; his picture-perfect life displayed in the _Seattle Times_ would have a set of 'before' photos to make city's eyes water.

So much for that relaxing evening…


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2  
6.50pm, Wednesday, June 24****th**

Damn! There was so much crap in here, why hadn't he ever cleared it out? In the dim light of the office Michael Xavier rifled through the filing cabinet. It was rammed full of paperwork from the last ten, or was it fifteen years? It was a lot, anyway. His general attitude to paperwork had always been to file it and forget about it. He was now trying desperately to remember where the hell the lease agreement was that Katus had given him four months ago. She'd taken the former lab premises on the second floor of the building and the people hired to convert it had driven him half mad during the last few months; as they hammered, drilled and sawed above his office. Thank God they'd quit a week or so back, before he'd finally lost it. But with Katus he was determined to make the effort to keep his business dealings a little more visible than this rats nest. "Katoosh," he muttered, pronouncing her Czech name and thinking of the beautiful blonde it belonged to.

It was good that the second floor was finally in use again. His gym on the first floor was going through lean times and his club in the basement was not a money-making enterprise by any means. However, things weren't dire; he still made good money, just not as much as he used to and the income from the second floor would be a welcome boost. He wrestled with the contents of the cabinet, trying to insert fingers into suspension files that couldn't hold another piece of paper, let alone give his pudgy fingers access to get the stuff out. His inability to keep track of paperwork had come to this, him scrabbling through four groaning drawers of paper, which contained everything from copies of tax returns to…oh. The sudden discovery brought him up short as he pulled out the file of photographs. What were these doing in here? They should be in the locked filing cabinet next door. It was a betrayal of everyone's trust to have left them in such an easily accessible place.

He pulled out the stack of perhaps sixty or seventy large format color photographs and started to look through them. He was struck by how many of these people he didn't see anymore. It was inevitable, nothing lasts forever, but the sight of a woman in one photograph brought real sadness to his heart. Tracey had been an amazing find, willing to do anything and here she was, photographed with Tom too. They'd made a great pairing, one of the best. How long had they been together? Two years? That was an impressive length of time for a Sub and her Dom. Few he knew got beyond six months.

A sad smile graced his face for a moment as he let his mind wander back. Where were these people, now? In many cases life happened. They met people not involved in the scene and drifted away, to settle down into respectable married domesticity, with two kids, two cars and a dog.

He flicked further through the stack and one question persistently worried him. What were these photos doing in this cabinet in the first place? They were well buried, so they'd been in here a while. But he'd no recollection of ever putting them in here or what the purpose had been for not locking them away with the other shots. Perhaps the photographer would know? He'd ask Donny when he saw him next. This didn't look like a batch that had simply been misfiled. This seemed to be a selection; two or three of each pose, different variations, different couplings and different angles. Amongst the pictures of people he didn't see anymore were pictures of people that he did. Stacey was in a few, looking so much younger than she did now. And of course there were plenty of Elena.

If it hadn't have been for Elena he'd have given this all up years ago and lived a much sadder life as a result. She was the undisputed queen of the place; a good friend and the Devil's Kitchen was a much better club for her keeping an eye on it. All he'd done was provide a haven for his like-minded friends in the basement of the building he owned, but it had been Elena who'd shaped it and made it what it was. She was a perfectionist and just because the club was underground and for a relatively small clientele, didn't mean that what they did here couldn't be carried out in stylish surroundings. That meant more than just scattering a few plastic plants around the place.

Elena was radiant in these pictures, glorious even. She'd have been late thirties perhaps? He couldn't be sure because Elena never seemed to age. Which, as she owned a chain of beauty salons, probably meant that she was a walking advertisement for the success of the treatments. He went to move on to the next photo but another photograph was stuck to the back of this one. He peeled it off and looked at it. There was a familiarity about the sub at Elena's feet. He was very young, much younger than Elena would ever have these days. He stared at the guy; kneeling naked and collared and tried really hard to put the name to the face. Then, in a moment of clarity, he realized who it was.

"Oh my God," he breathed in shock. Mr. Grey. Of course, that had been how he'd started. But this photograph wasn't supposed to be here. Mr. Grey had demanded several years ago now that any photographs of him were to be returned so that they could be destroyed and Xavier had done that. It looked like this one had been overlooked. Michael flicked through the other photos and worse, found more of Mr. Grey. The young Submissive was now the Dominant. He was still largely masked, but there was no doubting who it was. How on earth had these been missed? They must have been separated from the main group and Xavier hadn't known they were here. And who was that with him? Ah yes, Faye. An elfin girl who was all large eyes and pert, toned body. She and Mr. Grey had made a beautiful pairing. Faye Carter was another one Michael didn't see anymore.

He took the stack of photographs back over to his desk and rifled through them, pulling out all the ones of Mr. Grey. Then he hunted through the papers on his desk and found what he was looking for, last Saturday's _Seattle Times_ _Magazine_. He flicked through to the article he wanted. There could be no greater contrast between the photographs he'd pulled from the cabinet and the ones on the pages of this glossy magazine - the successful CEO with his beautiful wife, two children, two cars (at least) and they probably even had a dog.

How long had it been since Michael heard from Mr. Grey? It was several years ago now. Not since… What was her name? He wracked his brain. What was the name of the last Sub he'd introduced Mr. Grey to? Nope… Try as he might he couldn't recall it. Her name had gone. His memory failed him more often these days although he wouldn't call himself past it. He was a virile sixty-two and could still show the newcomers to the club how it was done.

Xavier had always been discreet. This whole part of his life had to be the epitome of discreet, but he'd always gained a certain satisfaction in being able to pick out exactly what Mr. Grey required. Xavier always sent over the details and photographs of two or three women, but knew without a shadow of a doubt which one he'd choose. It would be the one with the hint of a playful kitten in her eyes. Mr. Grey didn't like them too submissive and it was a simple step of logic to deduce that the more feistiness there was in a woman the greater the need for training and appropriate punishment.

Each Dominant had his or her own particular requirements and Michael had long since ceased to be shocked by anything. He was just the matchmaker. He suggested pairings based on knowing the Dominant personally and their specific requirements. It was his gift, his special skill, along with providing the premises for them to practice their craft. Not that Mr. Grey came here, he'd long since stopped frequenting the club and Xavier didn't get involved once a pairing had agreed to work together. Anything they did was their own business and hopefully clearly set out in the contracts that Michael insisted on.

There was only one correct course of action and that was to send the photographs to Mr. Grey. Elena wouldn't want hers, she was never interested in the pictures Donny had taken over the years, but Mr. Grey should have his. Nobody in his position would want pictures like these to fall into the wrong hands.

Xavier pulled out a large sturdy envelope from his drawer and began to write the address. But he'd got no more than a few letters in, before Mr. Grey's wife caught his eye in a photograph in the article. She was absolutely stunning and had she been introduced to Mr. Grey through the club, Michael would have gladly put her through her paces first, just to see that face gazing up at him from the floor. Was she the reason that Mr. Grey had given up his long association with the Devil's Kitchen? What did (Michael checked her name in the picture caption), Anastasia Grey know about her husband's past, if anything? Did she share his passions and if she did where had he met her? Not here that was for sure. Were they making a go of a Dominant / Submissive marriage?

Looking at her more closely Michael didn't think so. She didn't look at all submissive, although she was Mr. Grey's usual brunette and he'd have been shocked if she'd been anything else. She was younger than Mr. Grey, incredibly beautiful and holding the picture up to the light he looked into her eyes to see what it was that had made Mr. Grey a total stranger to him these days. Michael Xavier was rarely stuck for words, but what he saw in Anastasia Grey's eyes rendered him speechless. Mr. Grey had married a lioness.

"Are you under the spell of her too, Michael?" asked a familiar voice that made him look up sharply.

"Elena?" He was surprised. "It's unusual to see you here on a Wednesday."

"She's a very pretty woman."

"Who?"

"Anastasia Grey."

Michael looked again at the lioness in the photo. "Oh. Yes. I was curious." He said by way of explanation. "I wondered if she was the reason we don't see Mr. Grey anymore."

"Yes she is. That part of his life is over. Or so he told me the last time we met. He wasn't entirely sober but I think I got the measure of it."

"So he didn't meet her in another club?"

"No. He met her quite by chance; in that happy, nauseating way that sometimes happens to people." Elena gave a sad smile.

"Well, they look very happy."

"I'm sure they are."

"Does she know?"

"About his subs? Yes."

"And is she… OK with that?"

"Not entirely, no. But I really don't know her that well and she doesn't view me as a positive influence in his life."

"Oh?"

"But she should take a look at the annual reports from GEH before she makes that sort of a comment again. Every year until she came into his life his profits went up. Since then, he's been coasting. Anyway, what do I care?"

Michael smiled, understanding that Elena Lincoln cared rather more than she dared to admit. "So what can I do for you, this evening?"

"I take it you haven't received any of my phone calls?"

"What phone calls?"

"The three messages I left on your cell, asking you to call me?"

Xavier frowned and fished his phone out of his jacket pocket. "Oh. It's not switched on."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. I'm here now. Photographs, Michael. I want to talk about the photographs."

"Ah." He was suddenly a little concerned.

"I was presented with a copy of one taken of me and Jonathan. Would you happen to know how that ended up on the internet?"

"No."

"All of the ones that are taken here remain on the premises or go to the respective Doms, yes?"

"Yes."

"Including the ones of me?"

"Yes, although I found this in another batch filed separately." He pulled out the photograph of Elena and Christian. "I wondered whether you wanted it?"

Elena took the photograph from him. "Yes, I do. I would feel happier knowing where this is. Are there any more of me?"

"I expect so, but they're in the other cabinet. It'll take me a while to go through them."

"I'd appreciate those in the fullness of time. And what are the others?"

"Various people, but I'm sending these to Mr. Grey." He handed the photographs to Elena.

She gave a little laugh. "Oh you were so young, Christian! And Faye too, I miss her. A beautiful girl, almost like a pixie."

"Where do they all go?"

"I think Faye lives over in Bremerton now. Married I believe."

"Happens to us all."

"Happens to some of us. The rest of us spend Wednesday evening spanking Keith Delaney."

"Is that why you're here?"

"Yes. He wanted an extra session."

"And I'm sure you'll make him fully aware of his transgression for calling you out on a Wednesday night."

"Oh, indeed." She smiled and then handed back the photographs of Christian and Faye. "Make sure those get safely to their destination." She said gravely. "They could cause serious damage to his reputation."

"Of course. I'll hand-deliver them to Escala."

"He doesn't live there anymore. I'll give you their new address." Elena pulled a notebook from her bag.

"You might as well write the envelope." Michael handed her the pen and pushed the envelope to her. Elena wrote out the Grey's new address.

"Don't send this anything less than Registered Mail." She said, adding 'Private and Confidential' in the top right hand corner.

"I wasn't going to."

Elena handed the pen back to Michael and slotted her own photograph into her bag. "If you could ask Donny whether he's uploaded any pictures without approval? I shall administer a punishment of my own if he has."

"I can't understand how that happened. Donny has always been adamant that he would never do that. He's on vacation right now, but I'll call him as soon as he's back."

"Thank you. I have an appointment with Mr. Delaney's saggy, hairy ass. Thankfully, followed by Peter's very beautiful one."

"How's that working out?"

"Good thanks. It's early days but he's pleasing me greatly."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Elena turned to go. "I'll see you later, Michael."

Xavier watched her go and slid Mr. Grey's photographs into the now correctly-addressed envelope and sealed it down. He marked the corner with the stamp of the gym and initialed it underneath with a neat 'DK' so that Mr. Grey would know exactly where they'd come from and know to open them in private.

Michael found himself drawn once again to the picture of Anastasia Grey. With eyes like those he doubted whether Mr. Grey had ever really stood a chance. Would he? Michael Xavier would very much like to find out.

He picked up the file of remaining photographs, walked into the other office and unlocked the filing cabinet in there.

It was empty.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3  
6.03am, Thursday, June 25****th**

Elliot ran his hand down Kate's naked back. They were lying in bed, he on his side and Kate on her stomach. It was early morning, but outside the sun was already climbing into the clear blue sky, heralding another hot June day. Kate's skin glowed like burnished gold, making it tough for Elliot to drag himself away from her. They were doing absolutely nothing but he was, nevertheless, still hard. He'd been like that since Kate had dragged him up to his old bedroom at the charity fundraiser on Saturday night and confessed to what she had inside her and how aroused she was feeling. Since then it had been difficult to think about anything other than how aroused Kate was feeling and that had a knock-on effect in how he felt. Horny. All. The. Fucking. Time. Every day this week had been like their first time together and he was exhausted. Not that he would admit it - Elliot Grey was never one to turn down sex.

Kate's admission had livened up the boring charity fundraiser and, after squeezing in a quick fuck, they'd left his room to come face to face with Mia and Ethan and Christian and Ana. There had been an awkward silence, followed by much sniggering as they understood exactly what they'd all been up to. Christian especially had seemed particularly psyched and as the six of them walked back into the marquee, Elliot felt a real thrill. The Grey siblings and their spouses looked like a tough-knit posse riding into town.

He was seeing a whole new side to his brother these days and it was a side he liked. He wished this version of Christian had been around ten years ago. Gone was the anally retentive control freak and in his place was someone that Elliot could joke around with, go for a beer with, do crazy things with and, damn it, even confess his sexual problems to – not that there were any now.

The whole family had spent so much time pussyfooting around Christian and his teenage difficulties that it was welcome relief when virtually overnight he'd shut the fuck up and got on with his life. But, he'd shut down and for a great number of years there was never the ease about him that there was now. He'd gone from angry and violent to closed-off and starchy in a very short space of time. But Christian these days was… fun? Was that the right word? Yes, Elliot thought so. Perhaps it had been the birth of Teddy? Fatherhood was renowned for changing a man. No, Elliot knew exactly where the reason for Christian's change lay; it was squarely at the feet of Anastasia.

He also had other things to lay at the feet of his sister-in-law - his own wife for one. Of all the bars in all the world it had to be an insignificant student bar in Portland that had yielded the pearl of great price, and subsequently their fifteen month old daughter, who was the apple of her Daddy's eye. If it hadn't been for Ana, none of this with Kate would have happened. He must remember to thank her one of these days, along with the gift of the two silver balls that were now nestling in their black velvet pouch in the drawer of his bedside table.

"Could you wear them to work today?" He asked Kate. A carnal smile snaked its way across his wife's face as she took a moment to consider his question.

"No." She said sleepily. "I'd spend the whole day begging you for sex."

"And that would be wrong because…?"

"I wouldn't get anything written."

"You could write me an email and tell me how the balls are making you feel."

There was a look of shock on her face. "Would you like that?"

"Sure." He smiled. He was a doer in life not a thinker, but Kate writing something sexy to him might make even him engage with the written word.

"Wearing the balls to work would be a tough ask," she said. "The place is a testosterone-fuelled powder-keg at the best of times and one horny woman might be the spark that sends the whole place up."

Elliot grinned, having no trouble imagining his hot wife making men spontaneously combust around her. "Perhaps not, then." He leaned forward and she lifted her head to meet his kiss. "I need to get going." He grumbled. "I'm due on site up at Arlington this morning. But strangely, I'm having trouble tearing myself away from you," he whispered.

"Me too. Another five minutes?"

"OK."

Kate pushed Elliott onto his back and straddled him, easing him into her just as from down the hall came the happy shouts of Ava wanting someone's attention to lift her out of her crib.

"Just a minute baby girl!" Called Elliot through gasps as Kate started to move above him. "Momma wants… _Fuck, Kate… I can't… Jesus!_" Elliot grabbed Kate's hips and stilled her as he released, bucking slightly. Kate looked down at him, a smile of triumph on her face. She knew the power she had over him and she wielded it with supreme confidence. He'd have liked it to have lasted the whole five minutes, but he'd been too close already and he really wasn't going to complain about this start to a Thursday. Whatever the day hit him with now, he'd keep this moment with him all through.

**xXXx**

Kate's happy morning with her husband had been suffocated by the miasma that emanated from Marnie Moore. If any journalist ever radiated toxicity it was this woman. She'd been at the _Seattle Times_ all of four days and already Kate hated the sight of her. It hadn't started well. Marnie, within minutes of meeting Kate had asked how long she'd been fucking her brother-in-law to produce that love letter to him that she'd passed off as an article.

"If you knew anything about him you'd know you don't fuck with Christian Grey." Levelled Kate.

"What do you do with him then, make sweet love on his boat?" She sneered.

Kate scoffed. "Is this how you operate, take people's words and twist them?"

"I wasn't the one who said you don't fuck with Christian Grey."

"You knew very well what I meant."

"I find that people's words are open to interpretation."

"Well, interpret this. Go fuck yourself!"

Kate's mood was even more soured when her editor started crowing over the great pieces that Marnie was going to write for them.

"She's going after the big six." Josh Hewlett said. "Sorry Kate, but you're too close to the action on this one. Giving you that to write would cause you all sorts of personal conflicts, I know. But it's something I've wanted to do for a while and Marnie's the right woman for the job."

"The right _person_, I hope?" Said Kate. "'Cause this wouldn't be a honey trap, would it? Young pretty girl bats her lashes at Seattle's CEO's and collects them as they fall? That wouldn't be sending out the wrong signals at all, would it?" Kate was heavy on the sarcasm. "And it's not going to work on Sylvie Vincenzi. Will you be sending Scott or Felix to take photos and wiggle their butts to see if she asks for their number?" Feminism was a concept yet to trouble the brain of Josh Hewlett.

As for Marnie going after the big six, that put Christian right in the firing line and a certain satisfied smile crept over Kate's mouth as she remembered what Christian had said he'd do to any journalist who asked too many questions. And then she was suddenly scarlet as she remembered how being briefly manacled in his playroom had made her feel.

Before Ana had arrived in his life, Christian had been an intensely private man, with good reason. Now he had nothing to hide and he'd opened up a little. But, then again, nobody to her knowledge had tried to seriously dig around in Christian's past, before. How watertight was it? Was he sure that nobody could discover what needed to be kept private? She'd have to warn him, but not directly, she'd tell Ana instead.

It was true that you didn't fuck with Christian Grey, because as a businessman he could destroy you as easily as he'd crush an ant. But if you went after him personally then it wasn't Christian you needed to be wary of. It was his wife.

If you hadn't known Ana Grey before she'd met Christian you'd probably never have believed that this confident and accomplished woman had once been riddled with insecurity. And where there had previously been a timidity about her, it had been replaced with a temerity; which had appeared the day that her former boss Jack Hyde had tried to destroy her, Christian and the baby she had just discovered that she was carrying. Christian Grey may put you out of business, but his wife would put a bullet in you.

Kate smiled at that as she hurried the couple of blocks to the restaurant that she and Ana met at for lunch, occasionally. Seattle was scorching, it was turning out to be a hot summer and Kate wanted to get out of the heat. She was pretty confident that Christian would have a lock on his past, but she was itching to see whether Ana was up to leaving her calling card in the leg of Miss Moore. Not only that, but Kate was looking forward to getting to see baby Emma Sawyer, too. Ana had invited Christian's P.A. along and Kate didn't want to miss a minute.

Baby Emma arrived with her own security detail, namely her father, Luke, who stood at Kate and Ana's corner table with much the same presence as a slab of granite might. Still recovering from his injuries, he wasn't currently working, but here he'd slipped straight into his work guise, hovering protectively as his girlfriend handed their baby girl over to Kate.

"Luke's going to take her while we eat." Andrea said.

"Why? She'll be no trouble," said Kate, peering down at the sleeping angel in her arms.

"It's the first time I've been out since she was born and I need a little girl time, you know?"

Kate flicked a glance to Ana. "Oh, that we _know._" Kate smiled.

There was something terrifically endearing about the sight of a man the size of Luke caring so tenderly for his tiny baby girl. There was an understandable stiffness about his movements given his injuries, but he was upright and walking which was a blessing, given how much debris had been extracted from the back of him. The three women watched him go, before Ana caught the eye of one of the waiters and called him over. They didn't have all afternoon and ordered promptly. Food on its way, they settled back to chat.

"So, that was a very dramatic birth, Andrea?" said Kate. "What did Luke have to say about it?"

Ana laughed and Andrea flushed slightly.

"Well, he was a little shocked." Andrea admitted. "But so was I. I mean, you read all the books and prepare yourself for being in labor for days and it goes and happens in moments."

"But Christian though?" asked Kate. "Surely Luke had something to say about that?"

"Eventually, when he'd recovered the power of speech. He was silent for the longest time before he said anything. I nearly had a nurse check that he hadn't had a brain aneurism in the process. But in response he was typically pithy." She rolled her eyes. "He said Mr. Grey had seen it all before."

Kate snorted and flicked a glance to Ana. There was a small answering nod in return. It was no surprise that Luke knew about the room at Escala.

"Call him Christian, please," said Ana.

Andrea shook her head gently. "I'm struggling with that. I've spent six years calling him Mr. Grey and it's hard to re-program my brain."

"Use it outside GEH then. You're almost part of the family. Did you get the ridiculous gift by the way?"

Andrea laughed. "Yes. I don't know where we're going to put it, but it's a lovely thing for Emma to have. Obviously it'll be a while until she can use it."

"Oh God, what did he buy now?" asked Kate, in trepidation.

"A rocking horse," said Ana. "It's huge. He got one for Phoebe; so, naturally, Emma has to have one too. He forgets that other people don't have apartments the size of Escala. I'll talk to him."

"He's very generous," said Andrea.

Ana gave an indulgent smile. "Yes, he is."

"So how's looking him in the eye coming along?" Pressed Kate.

"Uh… I'm not there yet." Andrea admitted and involuntarily placed her hands in her lap as if to cover her modesty. The smile left her face momentarily before she forced it back on.

Kate could understand how she felt. Doctors and nurses saw these things all the time, you could relate to that. But being so exposed in front of your boss would be hard to mentally process. Luke was right though and at least Christian wouldn't be fazed, even if Andrea didn't appreciate why.

"Have you given any thought to going back?" asked Ana.

"Yes. I was thinking September."

"He'll be so pleased." Ana's nose wrinkled up. "It's really not working out with Megan."

"Oh no," Andrea groaned. "That's what I feared. She's just too inexperienced and she doesn't have the knowledge that comes with time in the job. Such as who does what and where you go for a particular piece of information. He should have gotten Michelle to cover. With Ros getting ready to leave, there'd be less pressure on Megan if they swapped jobs."

"I'll suggest it to him. The Singapore trip is looming large now. It's his first big deal without Ros and I know he's feeling a little exposed."

"I heard he appointed Tom Clarke as Ros's replacement," said Andrea. "Good choice."

"Yes. Tom's going to Singapore too, but he doesn't really know the deal so this one's all Christian. I've had to drag him out of the study every night this week at past 1am."

"I'm getting the mental image of you clubbing Christian over the head and dragging him to your bedroom by his hair," said Kate, taking a bite of a breadstick.

"That's the gist of it." Ana gave Kate a cheeky grin.

"You mean that standing in the doorway butt naked has stopped working?"

"Oh no, he still responds to that. Christian responds to anything if there's the slightest chance of getting sex out of it. It's just that I don't drag him to bed by his hair."

Kate and Ana laughed, but Kate noticed that Andrea was sitting there looking pink and uncomfortable. "Sorry." She whispered. "I guess the image of your boss having sex isn't something you want to imagine."

"I can imagine it just fine." Andrea whispered under her breath. "That's the problem."

It was towards the end of lunch that there was a flash of gray and from nowhere Christian suddenly grabbed the vacant chair at the table, dragged it next to Ana's and sat down, causing her to gasp in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Ana smiled and planted a smack of a kiss on his lips.

"Taylor was taking me down to the Axiom. I have a meeting with Sylvie Vincenzi and I spotted you whilst we were stopped at the lights, so I hopped out. As I won't see you much this evening I thought I'd sneak a little time in now." He rested his left arm along the back of Ana's chair cupping her shoulder and ran his right hand gently back and forth over her lower abdomen. He looked at Andrea. "I can't persuade you to come in tomorrow can I?"

"Christian," Ana chided. "Give Megan a chance."

"I _am_ giving her a chance. I've given her six week's worth of chances, but I need the stuff for Singapore pulling together and it's not happening. Today's meltdown was over the geologic reports."

Andrea shrugged. "Why? She doesn't have to write them, she just has to get them from Simon."

Christian gave a thin-lipped grimace. "She forgot to ask him."

"Oh… shit."

"Exactly. And now he's pissed at me for making him drop everything to do them and she's in tears – again."

Andrea sighed. "It's a tough mother of a job. My guess is she's probably not slept for six weeks. You really should have poached Michelle."

Christian gave a hollow laugh. "I tried. Ros said over her dead body. She's taking Michelle with her by the way."

"I guessed she might." Andrea said sadly. "The floor will be a sadder place without Michelle.

"The floor will be a quieter place without Michelle."

Andrea cackled.

"Please, Andrea, come in tomorrow," begged Christian. "I will give you a million dollars, in cash and get Matt to name a yacht after you."

Ana gasped. "Christian, no! She needs to recover. Don't you dare go in Andrea, Emma is your priority. Not a day before September, you hear me?"

"Oh hello Mrs. Bossy, I wondered where you'd gone." Christian grinned at his wife.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If I hear that you've pressured Andrea into returning sooner, I will send Luke in to remove her from the building. You're just going to have to cope. And then, when she returns; you can prostrate yourself at her feet, in the humble acknowledgement, that behind every successful CEO there's a P.A. working their butt off. And I think naming a cargo ship after Andrea is probably a better reward for all the work she does for you."

Christian looked at Ana in a way Kate had never seen before. "Yes Mistress." He said darkly and Kate saw a flare of red in Ana's face.

"I'd rather be a yacht than have my name on the butt of a cargo ship," said Andrea. "So, you have a meeting with Sylvie?" Her question broke the strange link between Ana and Christian.

"Yes." He replied.

"Odd," she continued. "What does she want from you?"

"A disposal site for husband number four, perhaps?" Kate suggested.

Andrea snorted. "That wouldn't surprise me."

"Speaking of surprises, or not getting them." Kate continued. "I'd better give you the heads up Christian that the new reporter at the _Seattle Times_ is on your case."

"Why? I haven't delivered any babies this week." He flashed a smile at Andrea and then peered over the table at the empty spaces either side of her. "Where's Emma?"

"With Luke."

"Oh." He pouted.

Ana laughed and shook her head at him. "She's not yours, leave her alone."

Christian grinned at his wife and her left hand went to cup his right one, holding it to her abdomen. _Oh yes?_ thought Kate. They hadn't said a word but that action spoke volumes.

"So who's this person on my case?" Christian said, returning his attention to Kate but still keeping his hand in place.

"Marnie Moore."

Christian looked stunned. "Tim and Barbara's girl?"

"I don't know who her parents are," replied Kate.

"Does she have more hair than head and it's just a mass of long, tight curls?"

"Yes!"

"That's Marnie. Wow, is she old enough to work?"

"I think she's a couple of years younger than us. You know her?"

"I used to. Our families sort of hung out together when she was a kid. Can't say I've seen her in a long time. So, she's at the _Seattle Times_ and she's out to get _me?_" Christian gave a snort. "But it was Mia who pushed her in the pool. Mia hated her."

"Can't say I'm getting along with her, either. She didn't mention that she knew you."

Christian wrinkled his nose. "I didn't really know her. I was in my angry phase. I was most likely brooding in a corner."

"Anyhow, it's not only you she's after, it's the bosses of Seattle's six biggest companies. She wants to turn you all upside down, shake you about and see what falls out."

Andrea laughed. "Out of Baker, it'll be kids by his P.A's."

Kate, Ana and Christian all looked at her.

"That's one hell of an accusation, Andrea." Christian said seriously.

"It's not an accusation it's a fact. Take a look at the children that have been born to four of his former P.A's and you'll find that they all look a lot like mommy's boss. Perks of the job he calls it. Personally speaking, there's not enough money in the world to ever make me work for that man. My guess is if we all know, then it won't be too hard for a reporter to discover it."

"We?" asked Kate.

"Each CEO has a P.A. and it won't come as a surprise to hear that we talk to one another."

"What else do you know?" asked Kate.

"Other than Baker, the most likely candidate for something negative to come out is Mark Grainger. I don't know specifics, but he's a piece of work."

"Is he now?" smirked Christian. "I won't disagree."

"As for Sylvie? Well who's not going to try and explain the deaths of three apparently fit and healthy husbands? I would. But maybe that's a smoke screen to cover what's going on elsewhere? That's what I see, a lot of smoke and mirrors."

"Perceptive," said Christian.

"But she won't get anything on Donald Edwards, Ted Gilbert or..." Andrea's face was suddenly a picture of alarm. "Although…" she added and didn't finish.

"What?" The rest of them asked in unison.

Andrea did not look happy. "I should be there." She grumbled. "Reporters are devious bastards. Megan may not be as immune to them as I am."

"Oh, thanks," griped Kate.

"Well you're hardly going to try to get files out of me."

"What do you have Andrea?" Christian asked.

"Could we talk about this someplace else?" She asked.

"Sure." Christian got up and Andrea followed him out of the restaurant to a spot over by a large plant in the atrium.

"What do you think that's about?" Kate asked Ana. "Do you think Andrea knows about… before?"

"No. But thinking back to the early days, it was Andrea who sent over the NDA to him. Why would anyone who didn't have something to hide need an NDA?"

"I thought that would be standard business practice."

"No, this was a personal agreement between Christian and myself. It wasn't related to the wider company."

"Is he confident that his past is locked down?"

"He's confident as far as the… contractuals are concerned, yes. They're covered by the NDA. And with two exceptions he's never seen any of them since. It would be damaging to them as well as him. So I think there's a kind of mutually-assured destruction that keeps all parties silent."

Andrea and Christian came back to the table, neither one of them looked particularly disturbed.

"So if Marnie Moore comes sniffing around, you'll phone her father and tell her to back off?" Kate asked Christian.

"I don't really know him. It might have more weight coming from my Dad." Christian took Ana in his arms again, his right hand moving back to her lower abdomen. He didn't look in the slightest bit worried and neither did Andrea. Perhaps it really was just the NDA and a little delete and purge could get rid of that. "I'd better get to my meeting." He said looking sadly at Ana.

"Smile at Frankie, you'll make his day," said Andrea.

"Frankie?" Said Christian.

"Her P.A. He's gay and utterly fabulous. We love him."

Christian rolled his eyes, smiled and turned to Ana. "I'll be home as soon as I can," he said softly and kissed her. His hand did not leave Ana's stomach.

"OK. See you later."

"Yeah," he sighed. "Committees, why do I do this to myself?"

"Because it's the yacht club and it's only for twelve weeks whilst you put the Anniversary Regatta together," replied Ana, in a tone that suggested that it wasn't the first time Christian had griped about this.

"True. I can cope with it for twelve weeks. And I'm going for run with Claude afterwards when it's cooled down outside."

Christian kissed Kate and Andrea on the cheek and then came back to give Ana another long lingering kiss before sweeping out of the restaurant as if his Queen had charged him with a quest to slay a dragon.

Ana turned to Andrea. "Do you have anything incriminating?" She asked outright.

Andrea gave a shake of her head. "Not really. But I know journalists and they are very good at getting two and two to make five. I'm going in this evening to delete some files and emails."

"Is one of them an NDA?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask what the others are?"

"There's some communication relating to a company he used to own. He didn't act in the most professional manner."

"Oh?"

"It seemed very personally motivated."

Ana seemed a little reassured.

"It really is nothing to worry about." Andrea continued. "Compared to snakes like Jared Baker, Mr. Grey's a dream to work for." Kate raised an eyebrow in skepticism and Andrea wrinkled her nose. "OK. I'll admit it. There were times before you came on the scene when he was a nightmare. But I survived." She smiled, embarrassed at her disclosure.

"Andrea, I know he can be difficult, but he thinks the world of you," Ana smiled. "But anyone who tries to take Christian down will have to get through me first."

"And me. I'll show up with a baseball bat," said Andrea, her face resolute.

"So, what's this, Team Christian?" said Kate, bouncing excitedly in her seat.

Ana looked at her. "I hope it's more than that, Kate. I hope he can count on yours and Elliot's support, because as far as I'm concerned, this is Team Grey."

"If it involves swinging a heavy bat at Marnie Moore, count me in!" said Kate.

Ana smiled and the three of them clinked their glasses together as a toast.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" asked Kate, as she and Ana were leaving the restaurant.

"Tell you what?"

"Your news? I know Christian didn't say anything, but that was way too much attention he was paying to your stomach for there to be nothing in there."

Ana smiled. "It's very early days. I only got my positive result on Saturday. It's going to be weeks until we can say anything officially."

"Well congratulations from me!" Kate hugged Ana tightly.

"Thank you. We're thrilled. But please, not a word. Not even to Grace. I had a rough time with Phoebe so I'm just hoping I won't be as sick as I was last time."

Kate pulled an imaginary zip across her mouth. "You have my word."

"Thanks. Oh and come to ours for the 4th?"

"Are you sure? You guys had us all over last year."

Ana smiled. "It's Christian's idea. He wants to have a go at barbequing."

"Oh God. You'd better alert the Fire Department."

"Exactly. Gail gets twitchy when he goes near the toaster. But don't worry; she's going to prepare some emergency chicken should he incinerate the first lot beyond recognition."

"Count us in for that."

"We're inviting Tom, Christian's new Director of Operations and his girlfriend. Jason and Gail will be there, plus Luke and Andrea. I was thinking of asking Belinda and anyone she's with."

"Your scary driver?"

"She's not scary, once you get to know her."

"She looks like she makes hardened Marines weep."

"She probably does." Ana smiled and the pair of them strolled out into the furnace that was the city; where Belinda Prescott, a towering presence in a cream linen suit and Raybans stood waiting with an open car door for Ana.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4  
Axiom Building. 2.10pm, Thursday, June 25****th**

Christian got out of the elevator and noticed the immediate eye-widening from the man sat behind the desk who rose to greet him. This must be Frankie.

"Mr. Grey." He said with a soft, Italian accent. "May I get you some coffee?"

"Just some iced water, thank you" Christian replied and cast an eye over the tall, lithe young man in a white shirt with neatly folded-up shirt sleeves and black suit pants. He was tie-less which didn't seem too casual for Sylvie's office. His black hair was artfully gelled and his eyes were accentuated at the corners with black kohl. So this was Andrea's idea of utterly fabulous? You couldn't get anyone more removed from Luke Sawyer if you tried. Frankie handed the water to Christian.

"Excuse me for asking, Mr. Grey. But do you know how Miss Parker is?"

"She's good. She's having lunch with my wife and sister-in-law."

"And baby Emma?"

"Being well looked after by her father."

"Bellissima! Please give her my love, I hope she comes back to work for you. Megan is…" Frankie gesticulated as if he'd gotten something nasty stuck to his fingers. "Well, the less said about that the better."

Christian narrowed his eyes. "She's doing her best. I demand a lot from my staff."

"Oh, don't we know." Frankie insinuated.

Christian did not like his tone. "Excuse me?"

"Get Andrea drunk and out it all tumbles." He giggled. Did men actually giggle? This one did.

"Ah, Christian, there you are!" Behind him came the seductive Italian purr of Sylvie Vincenzi, the CEO of Vivico. "You're late, darling."

He turned to face her. She was black-haired, petite, old enough to be his mother and inclined to treat him as such. Sylvie air-kissed him.

"My apologies." Christian replied.

"I see you've met Frankie. Isn't he gorgeous? He's my nephew."

Christian smiled. "My P.A. certainly thinks highly of him."

"And so do I," she smiled. "Come Christian, we're all assembled. No interruptions for half an hour, Frankie."

Christian followed Sylvie into her office to discover who else was 'assembled.' It was Mark Grainger, Ted Gilbert, Donald Edwards, Sylvie, himself and sat in a corner looking ashen-faced was Jared Baker. Christian had last seen him on Saturday night with his bored wife Lucinda at the Coping Together fundraiser.

"Christian." Ted shook his hand. Gilbert was far from his usual ebullient self and even Mark Grainger was strangely quiet today. Christian sat down in a seat as Sylvie took hers, in a great monolith of a chair that made her look even smaller than she was.

"Before you arrived, Christian," started Sylvie. "Jared was telling us that a reporter from the _Seattle Times_ has discovered that he's fathered four children by previous Personal Assistants."

So Andrea had been right. It hadn't been hard to discover.

"I take it you're admitting to this?" Christian asked him.

Jared nodded. "I've made private provision for all of them. Lucinda and I could never have children and the news has come as a shock. She's… taking some time away from me to think."

"That's understandable."

"I'm not in a relationship with any of them," he added tersely, as if that somehow made it better. "What can I say?" He threw up his hands. "I have a fondness for pretty young girls."

From the corner of his eye Christian saw Donald Edwards shift uncomfortably in his seat. Edwards was an incredible man. He was over seventy but he didn't look it. He cared for himself the way other people cared for prized sports cars. He was tanned, toned and a picture of health. But Donald was from a time when P.A's were simply secretaries who weren't considered capable of much beyond an opinion. Edwards was still resolutely in charge of his own company and his only slightly less prehistoric son stood no chance of getting a look in any time soon.

"Regardless of what you do or do not have a fondness for," growled Donald. "The fact remains that we have some girl on the _Seattle Times_ poking about in our lives. I have nothing to hide, but negative stories can do significant damage to the reputation of the business community, and tar us all with the same brush. If they get stories on two, or even three of us, that's enough for them to smell blood in the water and go in for the kill."

"You're not seriously suggesting that the _Times_ can take down the six biggest companies in Seattle?" said Mark Grainger. "That's preposterous! Combined, we what? Employ close to the equivalent of the population of half the city. Can you imagine the outcry if the six of us went to the wall? That's a major economic loss for the Pacific Northwest, and not just that. Both Sylvie and I have significant interests in Europe and Christian is just about to gain a major foothold in Southeast Asia. This Moore woman is just a bug on the windshield."

"She got Jared before any of us knew what was happening," said Donald. "Who's to know what she's got on any one of you. Can you honestly put your hand on your heart Grainger and tell me that everything in your life is as pure as the driven snow? Every girl, every deal, every dollar in the bank? What would she get on you if she went digging and I mean really went digging? I know this girl's father. He's got the tenacity of a Pitbull and she's unlikely to have anything less. Plus, she'll have the backing of Josh Hewlett and he's no friend of ours. He's sanctioned this and no mistake."

"Hewlett has his own skeletons," said Grainger.

"That does not concern us."

"This is why we need to work together," said Sylvie. "We need to present a united front to Seattle, not just at our level but down through the smaller businesses too. I'm proposing that we launch the Seattle Business Network and do it quickly. These are tough economic times, we're in recession and we need to reassure people that businesses in Seattle are robust and that those who run them are people of integrity and can work together. Christian, I'd like you to be our inaugural President."

"With all due resp…"

"We need a face Christian," Sylvie cut him off. "And yours is by far the most appealing. You're high profile, you're successful and nobody's going to object to seeing more of you in the papers."

"And you can go drum up support in the delivery suites," sneered Grainger.

Christian glared at him. "Have you any idea how terrifying giving birth is?" He snapped. "When your body is not responding in the way the books tell you it will? Or when you're stuck in a room with someone who isn't your partner and you're in another country? Miss Parker and I had no choice and I would appreciate you giving us a little credit for making the best of a difficult situation!"

"Someone's a little touchy."

"Enough, Mark!" said Ted Gilbert. "All I've seen of your contribution to Seattle is your appearance on the society pages with a different girl every week. You've already had more than a few run-ins with the IRS, so don't start trying to besmirch other people's reputations. At least Christian had the good sense to not date his way through endless dinners. Christian's the right person to represent us. He's young, successful and he's got a very photogenic family. These things play well in the press."

"He gets my vote." Said Donald.

"And mine, for what it's worth," said Jared, quietly.

"I'm flattered," said Christian. "But I really don't have the time to do this right now. Things will be clearer towards the end of the year."

"No, we need to do this now," said Sylvie. "We'll put it together, all you need to do is turn up on July 18th with your wife, have some pictures taken and make a speech."

"That's the day I get back from Singapore."

"Drink some coffee," she said.

"Look," said Christian, running his fingers through his hair. "You can put on all the parties you want, but this isn't addressing the real issue, which is Marnie Moore grubbing around in the trash. We need to deal with that."

"Christian, out of all of us, what have you got to hide?" said Jared. "It's been clear from the get-go that you're a man of integrity. I expect the only thing that Moore will find out of place in your life, is your hair. We all know you were an asshole as a teen, but at least you grew out of it. Mark didn't."

A chuckle went around the room and Grainger glowered at his fellow CEO.

"We will do this," said Sylvie. She rose from her chair and leaning forward over her desk, supported herself by the tips of her fingers. She surveyed her five fellow business leaders. "Jared has a few things to attend to in his personal life but they do not interfere with his ability to run Parallaxis. This is not a disclosure session. I don't need to know if you have similar indiscretions in your lives, I just ask that you secure yourselves against their disclosure. People will naturally question my poor luck with husbands, but they won't find anything because there's nothing to find. There's an appetite for gossip and scandal and we must do our best to guard our reputations. Business and time are tight, so I suggest we get to it."

Sylvie dismissed them and Baker, Gilbert, Edwards and Grainger made a bee-line for the elevator. Christian hung back and found a quiet corner from which to make call. If Jared Baker's reputation was going to go into freefall then there was one thing he wanted. The others may think he was a man of integrity, but Christian Grey hadn't achieved his success by missing an opportunity. Phone call done, he asked Taylor to head to Escala.

Considering that he'd lived here for several years, the vast apartment didn't feel like home anymore. Missing Ana's touch of color and comfort he was struck by the clinical feel of the place. This apartment was everything he used to be. It was cold, even in the middle of the hottest summer. It was unyielding - you couldn't sink into the sofas or stretch out on deep-pile carpets. And it was expressionless. There was great art on the walls, but all it told you about Christian was how much money he had.

Contrast that with the house; where their children's toys were scattered around, where Ted's pictures covered the refrigerator and where he'd put family photographs on every surface, as if losing sight of Ana, Teddy and Phoebe for just a moment would make them vanish. He lived in fear of waking up in an empty life and back in this empty penthouse.

Taylor waited in the parking garage as Christian made this quick visit. He walked into the office and from an alabaster pot on the desk took a key to the filing cabinet. He unlocked it and from the second drawer down extracted fifteen files. He was confident that enough safeguards were in place, but it had been a while since they'd updated the information. In the light of Moore's investigations it would be prudent to make sure he was not on the back foot with anything. He slotted them into his briefcase, locked the cabinet, replaced the key and walked out of the apartment without giving anything a second glance.

It was absurdly large to keep on, but it came into its own when Ana and he wanted some alone time. He got into the elevator and smiled to himself about their occasional 'lunch dates' - bed-based picnics where sandwiches were rarely on the menu.

Back in the car Christian stared out of the window as Taylor inched through the traffic back to Grey House. Yes, he was a little concerned. Up until now his defenses had never truly been tested. But it wasn't so much Marnie Moore that he was wary of, it was the people she knew and might call on for assistance. It would put both Wayne and Elena Lincoln back on the chessboard and he'd pissed both of them off in his time.

"She has Baker already." Christian said to Taylor. He saw the nod of acknowledgement from his driver in the rear view mirror.

"Would you like me to step up security?" Taylor replied.

"No. I'm confident we have a robust system in place, but while he's recovering I'm going to ask Luke to take a look at the files. We should make sure that the information we have is up to date. Andrea is concerned about Megan being the weak link and I'm inclined to agree. She's not coping and might be talked into handing things over for the right amount of tea and sympathy. Andrea's going in this evening to remove a few things from the system."

"A wise move."

"I think it's inevitable that Ana will be concerned about anything coming out. I would appreciate you and Gail both being as positive as you can. I don't want her being upset, particularly not now."

"Of course."

Taylor pulled up at the curb outside GEH and Christian climbed out into the searing heat of the Seattle afternoon. It was unbearable and he strode quickly across the sidewalk and into the air-conditioned comfort of Grey House. Once into the cool lobby he relaxed a little and made his way to the elevators. As he approached the main desk Cassie moved to catch his attention.

"Mr. Grey?"

"Yes Cassie?"

"Faye Carter is here to see you. She doesn't have an appointment but she's insisted on waiting. She says it's urgent."

Christian's heartbeat caught in his throat. "OK." He said after a moment. "Where is she?"

"She's over to the left, sir."

"Thank you." Christian turned and strode across the lobby to a cluster of white leather seats. A small, brunette-haired woman was the only person there. She glanced up from the magazine she was reading, looked momentarily terrified and then stood up as he approached her. She was about six months pregnant and wearing a smart black smock dress over a crisp white shirt.

"Mr. Grey." She said. Her eyes did not make contact with his.

He held out his hand and she shook it. "Miss Carter." He said. "It's a pleasure to see you again." He was not expecting to have to use the form he'd agreed on for meeting his former subs quite so soon. Faye looked shocked.

"A-a-and you." She stuttered. "I'm sorry to arrive without an appointment, sir," she was still diverting her gaze. "But I would appreciate the opportunity to speak to you in private." Her eyes glanced furtively around the lobby. "It concerns a photograph I received in the mail." Her voice was barely audible.

Ice formed in Christian's veins and only long years of holding himself in check stopped anger like never before tearing through him. He didn't need any further explanation. "I see. You'd better come up to my office."

Faye grabbed her purse and followed him across the lobby to the main reception desk. "Give Miss Carter a visitor's pass, please." He snapped.

"Yes, Mr. Grey." Cassie processed it efficiently and handed the clip-on badge to Faye. Christian led her through the security barrier and down to the far elevator. They got in and he pressed the button for the twentieth floor. They were silent for a few seconds as the doors closed and the elevator started its quick ascent.

"I'm Mrs. Silvestri now." Faye said.

"Have you been married long?" Christian asked.

"Two years. This is our first baby."

"Congratulations." He found it an incredible effort to be civil when all he wanted to do right now was explode. How the fuck had this happened? A photograph? Well that led straight back to Michael Xavier. He had insisted that they were all sent to him to be destroyed. Had someone made copies from the digital files? Had Marnie already been there? Would there be some fucking smug call from Josh Hewlett of the _Seattle Times_ later this afternoon wanting a comment from him? One thing was for sure, Xavier would be getting a visit from Christian just as soon as he'd finished with Faye.

The elevator opened on Megan wiping her eyes yet again. Michelle was hovering anxiously, but bolted when she saw Christian.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked Faye.

"Just a glass of water, please."

He turned his attention to the other intern. "Beth. Some iced water for Miss Carter please," and the intern darted away. "Megan?" The red-eyed girl looked up. "Hold my calls until further notice. Ask Tom if we can reschedule for tomorrow morning. Breakfast, at seven thirty, here."

"Yes Mr Grey."

"Faye." Christian gestured for Faye to go ahead of him into his office.

The large photograph of Ana instantly caught Faye's attention and she stopped for a moment to stare at it as Beth followed them in, handed her a glass of water and retreated quickly. Christian strode to his desk, picking up and scanning the three pieces of paper that had appeared on it since he'd left to meet with Sylvie.

"I read the article at the weekend." Faye said. "You have a beautiful wife and children."

"Thank you."

"May I ask if your wife is a former...?"

"No, she isn't." Christian had anticipated her next word and didn't want it uttered in his office. "As the article said, I met Ana when she came here to interview me."

"Do you still have a…"

"No." He snapped. "It's not part of my life anymore."

Faye walked slowly towards him. "Me either." She added.

"Take a seat." Christian gestured to the chairs on the other side of the desk. "You said something about a photograph?" Christian sank into his large, black, leather chair. From her oversize purse she took a brown envelope.

"This arrived in the mail this morning. I'm a school teacher. If this got out I'd have to quit my job." Her last sentence was said with clear anxiety. It was not just Christian's reputation that was on the line here, hers was too. She handed him the envelope.

From a desk drawer he produced and put on a pair of clear vinyl gloves. "I apologize for this, but with things such as they are I have to be careful."

"I understand."

Christian pulled from the envelope a large color photograph and had to look away from the image of the two of them. He focused on a more neutral part of it, his own bare feet.

"There's a note clipped to the back of it." Faye pointed out.

Christian pulled the sheet of paper out of clip and read.

_My Dearest Faye_

_All of us have things in our lives that we wish we'd never done. Things, which at the time seemed fun and exciting. But as time goes by we can find that the past is something that we struggle to deal with. My name is Penny and nearly thirty years ago now I escaped from an abusive relationship. I now spend my time helping and counseling other women to escape from abusive and controlling relationships. I believe that Jesus is the only one that can bring true forgiveness, true healing and true freedom to all women who have been abused. I hope you will join myself and our other sisters at Azurelight, and we can help you live your life free from abuse, free from the past and work to help others to find true freedom in Christ. Below is a link to our website, it explains more about who we are and how we can help you break free. If you would like to get in touch, use the contact form on the website and write 42 in subject line. Your comment will be directed to me. _

_Penny,_

_Azurelight Ministries_

"Have you received anything?" She asked.

"Not to my knowledge, but the mail doesn't get to my house before I leave each morning." Christian clipped the note back to the picture and slid the whole thing back into the envelope. That was as much as he could bear to look at. "Do you want this?" He asked and Faye shook her head. "It looks specifically targeted at you. Have you looked at the web link?"

"A little. They're on a mission to set the submissives free."

"And get them ultimately to submit to Christ? I'm sure the irony is not lost on them." Christian was a little more composed now.

"But where did they get the photograph from?"

"There's only one place it can be - the Devil's Kitchen. I thought they'd all been destroyed. But obviously this one hadn't and Xavier must have had some lapse in security for this to get out. I'm going down there to find out what happened." He ran his hand through his hair. "This couldn't have come at a fucking worse time!" he vented. To his surprise Faye visibly shrank back and folded her arms protectively over her abdomen. One look at her told him that she was frightened. She still hadn't met his gaze.

"Look at me," he said and she instantly complied. Her huge eyes were wide. "I'm not going to punish you. You did the right thing coming here." He said gently.

Faye gave a nod of acknowledgement but her anxiety did not reduce.

"Are you scared of me?" He asked.

She nodded and then took a sip of water. Her hands were shaking badly. As she tried to place it back on the desk it caught on the edge and she only just stopped it from spilling over Christian's desk. "I'm so sorry, sir!" She said quickly, her whole body tensing visibly before him. "Oh, I shouldn't have come!"

She got up and made a dash for the door, but Christian got there first and put his hand on the door handle before she could turn it. There was no way he would allow her to leave in this state and he needed to know one thing.

"Did I leave you like this?"

"No. When our contract ended I was mostly fine. This sort of came on… over time."

"Mostly fine?"

Faye shook her head. "It's complicated."

"Have you spoken to anyone about it?"

She shook her head again. "No. What can I say to anyone about what we did?"

The NDA had prevented her from getting help; that had never been its intention. Suddenly, his brilliant plan to keep these women silent didn't seem so brilliant anymore. Christian had spoken to both John Flynn and Ana at length about his own issues, but in turn had prevented Faye and possibly others from seeking their own help. He felt compelled to do something.

"Would you like to speak to somebody? I could arrange that." John Flynn could help them.

Faye gave a pained smile. "Thank you, but no." She was still shaking.

"Come, sit down." Christian extended his arm out to the white leather sofas. Faye went to sit and Christian brought the glass of water over and placed it in front of her. He sat opposite.

"If what we did has caused you any difficulties, then you must see a counselor. I ask that you don't mention my name, but forget the NDA."

"They wouldn't understand. They'd judge me. Who really understands why a woman chooses to be a submissive? Besides, it's really not that simple."

"Would it cause difficulties between you and your husband?"

"No. He knows I have issues although he doesn't know why I have them. He's a patient and loving man and gives me what I need. Mostly." Faye smiled a little sheepishly.

"Is he or was he part of the scene?"

"Oh God, no." Faye gave a laugh. "I had to do a lot teaching. Your wife?"

"No. Ditto with the teaching." He smirked. An idea suddenly presented itself to him. If she didn't want to speak to a counselor, would it be helpful for her to speak to one of his former subs? Would Susannah help?

Christian got up. "Would you excuse me for a moment, please? I'm just stepping out to make a call." He left his office and walked down the hall until he found a vacant meeting room. He went in, shut the door and called Ana.

"Hi, it's me." He said when she answered. His voice caught a little.

"Hi, you OK?" She asked, appreciating that this wasn't his usual confident self.

"Not really."

"What's the matter?"

"Another piece of the past is sat in my office. I fucked her up." His hand tore through his hair.

"Oh…" He heard the sad sigh.

"The fucking NDA's prevented her getting help and she doesn't want to speak to a traditional counselor, she thinks they'll judge her. I thought Susannah might talk to her? Could you call her for me?"

"Sure. I can't promise anything, but I'll ask. If she's free do you want me to get her to come down?"

"Yes. That would be great."

"OK. Give me a few minutes."

"Thanks." Christian took a breath. "Ana?"

"What?"

There were so many things he wanted to tell her about; the meeting with Sylvie, Baker getting busted, the Seattle Business Network, Xavier, The Devil's Kitchen, the photograph, Faye, Megan and where he was really sneaking off to on a Thursday night. But there wasn't the time for that.

"I love you, baby." He said simply.

"I love you, too."

"I wish I didn't have to go out tonight. I wish I could come home and bury myself in you." Admitting his need for her had set up an ache in his chest.

"Well, if you don't exhaust yourself with Claude, then you can bury yourself in me when you get home." Ana paused and Christian heard her take a breath. "What's her name?" She asked.

"Faye. She was the first."

"Oh. Bad day for it, huh?"

"Not ideal."

"I'll call Susie, see if she can help. I'll text you her reply."

"Thanks baby. Bye."

"Bye." Ana hung up.

Christian stared out the window and then walked back down the hallway. He saw for a pleasant change that Megan wasn't crying and looked alert for once. Beth must have gotten her some coffee. He appreciated that it was a tough job, but she'd said she wanted to do it. Andrea had spelt it out down the phone from London, that if she chose to do this it would be tough beyond all expectations. Andrea only managed because she'd done it for so long and she knew what and when to delegate. He could get Megan another intern besides Beth, but Megan didn't have the time to explain what needed doing. The work was starting to stack up and Christian had to pull together the biggest deal of his career without Andrea or Ros at his side.

He was seriously wondering if upping his offer to two million dollars and falling on his knees in front of her, could get Andrea back tomorrow. She was coming in this evening to rescue his ass from Marnie Moore, so he could simply tell security not to let her leave. He zoned out for a moment jokingly planning where he could incarcerate Andrea, when his phone beeped with an incoming text.

***Yes, she'll do it. She's on her way down there.***

Finally, something good from today.

"Megan. Susannah Moss from Lane, Neill and O'Driscoll will be arriving shortly. Notify the main desk and have them get a visitor pass ready. Send her straight in when she arrives."

"Yes Mr. Grey."

He strode back into his office. Faye was looking at Ana's photograph on the wall. This month he had pensive Ana up there. She would be pensive if she knew the whole extent of the shit and stress in his life right now. But he didn't want to burden her, she had enough on her plate being newly pregnant. She was barely through the fifth week and it was already shaping up to be a nauseous first trimester.

"My apologies for that," he said and sat back down opposite Faye. "Would it be helpful if you could talk to another one of my former subs?"

Faye looked up, eyes wide. Her lips parted in surprise. "That would be great. I really can't talk about this to anybody who wouldn't truly understand."

"She's on her way down, she'll be here shortly. Are you OK to get home this evening?"

"Yes, I have a ticket for the Bremerton Ferry."

"You said you're a school teacher?"

"Yes, Third Grade, great kids. I qualified five years ago. I met my husband, Rob, at the first school I taught at. He still teaches down in Tacoma. And you're doing well, I see."

"Yes. I've been working on expanding into Southeast Asia. We've been putting together this deal for a very long time and it'll make GEH a third bigger overnight. That is confidential information by the way."

"Of course," Faye played with a pleat in her dress. "Do you keep in contact with many of your…subs?"

"Not directly, no. Susannah, who you're going to meet, is friends with my wife. Strange, but true. I don't have any contact with the others."

A silence descended between the pair of them. Christian didn't really know what to say. Theirs was hardly a relationship where they could reminisce over old times. Kids, they had kids in common.

"Do you know which sex your baby is?" He asked.

"Yes, although Rob and I are keeping that to ourselves. Did you find out?"

"No. We wanted the nice surprise, both times." There was a knock at the door and he stood up. "Come in." A rather intimidated-looking but familiar person peered around the door into the room. "Susannah, hello," Christian went to shake her hand. It startled her too. Had civility been beyond him back then?

"Hello," Susannah replied. She looked at Christian and then at Faye.

"Susannah, this Faye Silvestri. Faye, this is Susannah Moss."

"Pleased to meet you," said Susannah, shaking the hand of a woman who looked not unlike her.

"And you," replied Faye.

"I'm assuming Ana explained?" asked Christian.

"Yes. I thought Faye and I could go get some coffee?"

Faye nodded.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Faye, could you leave your contact details with Megan and someone will be in touch regarding the matter we were speaking about earlier."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." They shook hands and Susannah and Faye left, with Christian wondering whether many more days would be such an alarming combination of the past and the present. He called Taylor and asked him to get the car ready, he was going down to the Devil's Kitchen, but first Christian had to swing by Luke and Andrea's apartment. Luke may not be back to full fitness, but some desk-based research would fulfill his desire to be useful whilst he was laid up.

Outside Christian's office the elevator doors closed and Susannah and Faye stood in silence looking at one another.

"Strange, isn't it?" said Susannah. "Seeing him again?"

Faye nodded but couldn't speak. Tears budded in her eyes and trickled slowly down her cheeks. "Oh God!" She suddenly burst out. "Being in there was torture. I wanted him so much, can't help it, I love him!" She clasped her hand over her mouth as if she had admitted the worst thing in the world. Susannah folded the crying woman into her arms and rested her cheek on the side of her head.

"And that's the root of the problem, isn't it?"

Faye nodded, still unable to speak.

"That's always the problem and that's why we can't explain to any counselor what our issues are. We fall in love with him and we can't ever stop." Susannah kissed the side of Faye's head. "You're not the only one. I love him too and so does Leila. I wish there were some way that we could find out if the rest of them feel the same." She held Faye apart from her, her hands gently resting on the woman's upper arms. "But one step at a time. What's important is admitting how you feel and knowing that you're among people who understand. You're one of us, now. Welcome to the Sub Club."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5  
4.30pm, Thursday, June 25****th**

Christian went to knock on the apartment door but it swung open before his knuckles could connect with the wood, to reveal two very familiar people. Their lips were locked together, they were entwined in each other's arms and wholly oblivious to his presence. He rested his hand on the door frame and stood there with a silly grin on his face as Luke and Andrea, eyes closed, kissed each other. Andrea had changed from when he'd last seen her at lunchtime. Her cream linen dress was now swapped for an ankle-length, flowery one and her shoulder-length blonde hair had been released from its usual formal chignon. Luke had Andrea grasped around the waist with one hand and the other was making its way slowly upwards from her waist to her breast. As Luke went to take hold of the milk-engorged Promised Land Christian cleared his throat. Luke's hands instantly released Andrea as if he'd gotten caught doing something he shouldn't, but Andrea was angled just a little too far back to be stable on her feet. She scrabbled and grasped Luke's shirt to keep from toppling backwards. She fixed her employer with a pseudo-icy stare.

"That's just mean."

"Oh, get a room." Christian smirked.

"This is our room. So, what do you want?" She folded her arms and squared up to him, as much the gatekeeper here as she was of Christian's office at Grey House.

His raised an eyebrow. "So informal Miss Parker and so… _unfriendly._" He chided with amusement.

"He has a job for me," said Luke, snaking a hand around her waist again.

"You didn't say." Her brow wrinkled.

"Jason called earlier. You were asleep."

"Oh, yeah." Her cheeks went a lovely shade of pink at being discovered to be a perfectly normal new mom.

"Are you going over to Grey House now?" Asked Christian.

"Yes, I was going to grab a drink with Michelle before she went home."

"My staff are socializing?" Christian narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure that I approve."

"Ha! You wouldn't if you knew what we got up to on our nights out." Andrea laughed heartily and kissed Luke. "I'll be back once I've removed all evidence of Mr. Grey being a sleaze-ball. So I'll see you in three weeks."

Luke to his credit remained totally impassive. Behind her Christian Grey was shaking his head.

"Oh Miss Parker, it's a good job that I like you."

Andrea rolled her eyes and turned back to him. "Oh get real Mr. Grey. I'm going to delete what? Six emails and a Word Document? The emails are just some derogatory things about Wayne Lincoln, which anyone would say given half a chance. He's the real sleaze-ball." Andrea gave a shudder and pulled a face. "I can't believe he's back in business. Ugh!"

Andrea flitted off down the hallway to the elevator whilst Christian finally got through the door and into Luke and Andrea's apartment.

The building had originally been a warehouse and the walls were painted brick with floor-to-ceiling windows fitted with blinds. It was slightly cluttered and he smiled, recognizing the familiar sight of lives that had been overwhelmed by a tiny third person who came with a disproportionate amount of stuff. It included the enormous rocking horse that he'd bought for Emma. Now he appreciated what Ana meant by _'not everyone has an apartment the size of Escala._' Ah… He'd need to scale back his gifts next time.

It was a large room with a kitchen area off to the right, a dining area adjacent to that and to the left a living area with brown leather sofas and armchairs arranged around a coffee table that was piled with magazines and parenting books. The wall opposite the largest sofa contained a large flat-screen TV, underneath which was a shelf containing a run of photographs of Luke and Andrea, Emma and various other people that Christian didn't recognize. The apartment looked comfortable and lived-in, a far cry from the clinical modernity of Escala.

"Could I get you a drink, Mr. Grey?" Asked Luke.

"Just water, thanks and I'd appreciate it if you'd call me Christian. What is it with you two?"

"I think both of us find it a struggle to accept the change in our relationships with you. I'm sure it will come in time; although like Andrea, when we're discussing work matters, it's easier to have things on a more professional footing. Both of us like the distinction."

"A fair point." Christian took a seat at the breakfast bar that marked the boundary between the kitchen and the dining area. From his briefcase he retrieved the fifteen files he'd taken from the filing cabinet at Escala.

"Taylor said you wanted me to take a look at some files?"

"Yes. I had a meeting today with Sylvie Vincenzi. She'd called myself, Grainger, Baker, Edwards and Gilbert together because Marnie Moore at the _Seattle Times_ has decided to dig through our lives. She's already discovered Baker's children by four of his former P.A.'s. For some reason they seem to think that I'm the best person to head up a new Seattle Business Network and as you know, I don't have a skeleton-free closet." Christian pushed the files towards Luke. "I'd like you to refresh these for me. Establish their current whereabouts and run new background checks. I'm not expecting to have to contact them, but I'd like to be one step ahead of Miss Moore and be able to get to them before she does; if, by chance, all the safeguards fail. In Faye Carter's file is a photograph of her and myself that she received today from a group called Azurelight Ministries. They're on a mission to save women like her from men like me."

Christian sighed. He'd taken a quick peek at the Ministries' aims in the car over here and now felt depressed. Everything he did was once so clear-cut. Holding himself aloof from everybody and everything had meant that he'd never had to engage with people who were actively against what he had been in his former life. Yes, he knew he'd hit women, but not in the way he remembered the pimp beating his own mother. He'd never done it indiscriminately, always in a very controlled environment and not without a safe-word. But this organization didn't consider that there was any difference between hitting a woman out of pure anger or out of a psychological need which made you want to fuck her at the same time. It was all abuse in their eyes however much you dressed it up.

"I'd like you to meet with Miss Carter, or Mrs. Silvestri as she is now and get in contact with these people. Find out how they got their hands on the photograph. I'm going to see the person who should've had them securely locked away. Faye is a school teacher, so please be as discreet as you can."

"Yes, of course."

"Spend anything you need to, do anything you need to. Others may be in the same situation and I would not want them approached or exposed by Moore. While you're at it, run through the life of Miss Moore, let's play her at her own game."

"OK."

Christian looked around the apartment. "Where's Emma?"

"She's asleep in her room."

"Could I take a look?"

"Sure." Luke led Christian through the living area, down a hallway and into a shaded bedroom with a breeze from an overhead fan. Flat on her back and covered with only the lightest of sheets, little Emma Sawyer was napping as the insane heat of the day was finally starting to abate. Compared to his nine month old daughter Phoebe, Emma was tiny and delicate.

"How's it going?" He whispered.

"It still feels like trench warfare." Luke smiled. "I'm thankful that I have greater mobility now and can help more, but we both get so tired."

Christian smiled. "I don't know a parent who doesn't." He looked at Emma, thought of Phoebe and thought again of them growing up to be beaten by men like him and it hurt. He'd said to Andrea in London that he felt the need to apologize. With Ana and Teddy his perspective had started to change, but now he had a daughter and almost a second honorary daughter (because like Phoebe, Emma Sawyer would never want for anything or any ounce of the protection he could offer her), his perspective had shifted again. Could he admit to Susannah that he was sorry for what he'd done? Could he say that to Faye? What about Leila trying to hurt Ana? Could he apologize to Leila for hurting her as she'd apologized to him? What about the others? The only other one he tentatively knew the whereabouts of was Jessica, a Doctor, who was down in Olympia. He'd had no interest in them before; but in light of Faye's comment earlier, perhaps he should make sure that the rest of them were OK?

How would Ana feel about that? One turning up with a gun she'd coped with - just. The second one she'd made friends with. What would she say when he finally got home tonight and they could talk? And what about the photographs? Concern switched to anger and even precious, sleeping angels in their cribs could not distract him from the next unpleasant bit of his evening. He had absolutely no desire to descend into that basement, but he must.

"While you're doing the updates I'd appreciate if you'd work out of Escala. I don't want Andrea to find out about these women."

"Of course."

"And look after this little angel. I don't want her growing up and meeting a man like me," he sighed. They left Emma's room and walked back into the living room.

"Mr. Grey, I really don't think you should be putting yourself in the same category as men who violently beat their partners."

"Thanks, but that's not how anybody will see it. All they'll see is a sexually depraved man who's attempted to graft a shiny, happy family on top of years of abusing women. Ana will have to go around with people thinking that she's married to a man who beats her, or has beaten her in the past. My family will likely disown me, my children will too once they realize why they're socially ostracized. I'll have to quit GEH and walk away from everything I've worked for. Perhaps even Ana will finally find it too much and leave me?"

"If I knew that you didn't have to go on somewhere this evening, I'd take you to a bar, buy you a few beers and we'd go shoot some pool. It's not good for you to be thinking of yourself in such negative terms. And you wouldn't be alone. Jason and Gail would stay. I would stay, Andrea would stay and I don't think you could uncouple your wife from you if you tried."

"Andrea doesn't know what there is at Escala. Andrea doesn't know the arrangements I had with women before Ana."

"She's pretty open-minded." Luke smiled. "But no, she doesn't know."

"I'd like it to stay that way."

**xXXx**

Andrea strode confidently into GEH against the tide of people swarming out at the end of the working day. In the sea of suits the floral-clad gypsy in the floppy straw hat and sunglasses looked incongruous. She'd already been back to show Emma off and, as she'd predicted, she'd had most of the women on the twenty floors of the building falling off their chairs laughing when they'd discovered that mother nature had decided to give Andrea Parker the most embarrassing delivery ever. Strangely, the questions weren't about how it felt, but whether or not Mr. Grey had stripped to the waist to use his shirt to wrap Emma in. There was disappointment when she said that he'd remained fully clothed. Andrea didn't tell them that she'd already seen all the way down to the scorching hot 'v' on his abdomen last summer, when she and Luke had been invited to the Grey's July 4th celebrations. Andrea had hidden behind her sunglasses that day trying not to stare, as he played in the pool with his brother and Teddy. But it was tough not to, especially when he climbed out later and his swim shorts hung that little bit lower, exposing -_holy fuck on ice_ - nearly everything! They'd been invited again this year and of course she would be going, armed with extra dark sunglasses this time so he couldn't see where she was looking.

Andrea showed her pass to security and made her way to the top floor. When the doors slid open and she stepped out into her domain there was a momentary pang of sadness. She was still too new at being a mom to really appreciate anything other than how rubbish she was at it. But up here she was the queen of the 20th floor and there was nothing she didn't know. Other people came to her for information and she was good at her job. Coming back was just over two months away and she couldn't wait for it to pass.

Megan was not here, which, given the reported state of her, was understandable. But in comparison to the iceman she'd started working for six years ago Mr. Grey was a breeze these days. The difficulty was that Megan just didn't know GEH well enough. Andrea settled herself down and booted up the computer, checking through Megan's massive to do list and realizing that if she stayed a little while that she could do some of these things and help the girl out. Michelle wouldn't be finished for a while, yet.

Her first port of call was her catch-all email filter that only she knew about. For her own safety she routed everything through Gmail so that there was a copy somewhere, even if the servers at GEH went down. But she hadn't told Megan this. If Megan had sent files to anyone and tried to cover her own tracks internally, then Gmail would still have a copy and Andrea would know instantly. Andrea checked all the way back to her departure date and breathed out in relief. Megan hadn't sent anything she wasn't supposed to. Andrea set about locating the emails about Wayne Lincoln and flagging them to Barney Sullivan for deletion. Then it was a simple matter of deleting the NDA and purging the trash from the computer. Done! In six years Christian Grey's entire impropriety came down to a handful of internal emails and one blank document that she'd emailed him when asked and had never seen filled in to store. It had been the work of minutes, but she wanted to hang out and play P.A. for a little longer. She looked at the To-Do list and pulled out all the requests for information that needed to be sent off to the right people. She didn't sign her emails, all people needed to see was that Megan was doing her job. She went for the sticky notes in her desk, but pulled open an empty drawer. Well, she could at least re-stock the stationery.

She went over to the store and then realized that if Megan hadn't re-stocked hers, then perhaps Mr. Grey was down to his last pen too. Andrea strode into the vast, empty office and smiled, it was like being home! Instantly she could see that Megan was not adhering to the end of day routine and so she straightened Mr. Grey's desk and cleared off various bits and pieces back to their rightful homes. She pulled open his top two drawers and as she expected there was virtually nothing in them. Andrea headed for the store again and pulled out two piles of things, re-filling Megan's drawers and then taking Mr. Grey's things to his desk. What about the bathroom and his closet? Was Megan keeping an eye on those? Andrea went through to the adjacent room and pulled open the door of the closet where Mr. Grey stored several complete changes of clothing, including two work suits, a spare tuxedo, spare set of casual clothing, gym kit and a selection of ties, shirts, shorts, shoes and socks. They were all running low, a quick email to Gail would correct that one by the morning. In his bathroom it was the same story, no spare body wash or razors, shaving foam or deodorant, but condoms had strangely appeared squirreled away at the back of the bottom drawer. What did he need those for? Well, obviously she knew what they were _for_, but he and Ana been married four years, surely they were using a method that was a little less passion-killing? A wry smile played on her face when she thought about them trying to have sex in here. In was hardly romantic. But, it wasn't her business to question him, just to make sure that whatever he needed was on hand. She checked the pack, he had five left. Better get Gail to send over another pack. She made her list, went back to the computer and emailed it to Gail so she could send everything in the box tomorrow with Taylor.

Andrea returned to Mr. Grey's desk and collapsed into the glorious black leather chair. She twisted in it from side to side, looking out at the vast office before her. She pushed a little harder spinning around in the chair and just for a moment, imagined herself the owner of a business that would, by the end of next month, employ over 60,000 people worldwide. The scariness of it made her feel sick. Was this how he always felt? And then she realized that he probably didn't spin around in his chair like this.

The job she'd be coming back to would be even bigger. But she was up for a challenge - although she'd make a case for having a permanent second assistant rather than a succession of interns. Alas, all that was still two months away and she had a little baby girl to get home to.

Andrea slotted fresh supplies of stationery into the drawers and went to put the stack of legal pads into the bottom drawer. When she opened it there was a small blue photograph album in there. She tentatively lifted the cover, took a peak and found a sweet photo of Teddy and Phoebe in there. He'd put together a photo album? Oh this she couldn't resist!

Andrea turned the pages one at a time to reveal photo after photo of Teddy and Phoebe from birth to how they were now. There were family shots and pictures with their grandparents and other members of the Grey and Steele families. Then there were pictures of Ana. Ana and Christian at her graduation, on their wedding day, Ana on the boat, Ana dressed up as Daphne from _Scooby Doo_ at a fancy dress party. Ana looking incredible at some glamorous and prestigious event, Ana pregnant and asleep on the sofa – oh yes Andrea knew that one! Ana lying in the long grass, Ana lying on the bed, Ana on the bed in just her underwear, Ana… _oh I shouldn't be looking at that _Andrea thought, seeing far more of Mrs. Grey's breasts than she ever needed to. Were the rest of them like that? She grabbed a handful of pages and peeked towards the back. What she set eyes on made her hurl the album across the desk and pull her hands back from it as if she'd been burned. The album fell open at a picture of naked buttocks that she could only assume were Ana's. The photograph revealed enough to include the bunched panties where they'd been pulled down to expose the butt cheeks. It wasn't the buttocks that offended her and caused revulsion to ooze from every pore in her body. It was because they were bright red. Mr. Grey had a photograph of a woman's red butt cheeks in an album of precious family photos, among photos that he liked. Mr. Grey _liked_ that picture. The reality slammed into her brain in much the same way as her father's hand had once slammed repeatedly against her head and burned the image onto her brain as her father's cigarettes had once burned into her chest. She could barely admit it to herself. Mr. Grey hit his wife and he liked it.

Andrea slammed the album shut, shoved it back in the drawer, closed it, stood up, pushed the chair under the desk and walked out of the room. She went back to the desk, turned off the computer, scribbled a brief note for Megan, grabbed her hat and bag and got into the elevator. Christian Grey could go fuck himself if he thought for one minute that she was ever going to set foot in this building again.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6  
6.35pm, Thursday, June 25****th**

It had been a long time since he had walked through the door marked 'Staff Only' at MXSport Gym. A facility located on the first floor of a nondescript building on Rainier Business Park and Christian was in no mood to reminisce. Beyond the door a young woman sat behind a desk. Any attempt that her clothing made to enhance her figure was nullified by the bored expression and a face full of bubblegum which popped, leaving a flaccid bright-pink bag which she gobbled back into her mouth. Only a handful of times in his life had any woman failed to register his presence and a closer look at the state of her pupils explained why this one hadn't. Drugs.

"Member number?" She bleated in a dull monotone.

"One-four-five. Is Xavier here this evening?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"Thank you for your help," he said sardonically.

The girl keyed the number into the ancient computer and then pressed a button under the desk. A lock on an adjacent door released and Christian entered the dark basement of the Devil's Kitchen.

The stairwell was painted deep indigo and lit, both in the step risers and in the ceiling, by small white lights. As he reached the bottom the basement opened out into a similarly decorated room, flanked along each side by indigo velvet banquettes and small, regularly-spaced café tables, on which elegant white lily decorations were picked out by similar white overhead lights. There was enough light to see people around you, but not enough to see those across the room. This wasn't a place to be seen in and Christian had no intention of being seen. He turned sharply left and doubled back on himself, knocking on a door. There was no reply. He went in and found that Xavier's office was still as cluttered as the last time he'd been in here. Christian didn't linger. If he wasn't in his office and not in the central area then he must be in one of the rooms. He strode across to a board on the far wall of the central area where the keys to the private rooms were hung. In the place of the key to room 4 were two green plastic discs. The top one had the number 101 stamped on it. Xavier was there.

He walked through into the long passageway which ran the length of the basement. Off this were ten rooms of varying sizes built specifically for those people who didn't have the space or the finance to house their own playrooms. This is where it had all started for him. Elena had brought him here when he was young, too young, and those days were not something he wished to think about. He walked up to room four and rapped sharply on the door. "Xavier. Fifty. Your office. Now!" He called, using his codename to indicate who it was. He strode back to the office and waited. Presently a portly balding man appeared, barefoot and wrapped in an indigo robe, the initials DK embroidered in white on the breast pocket.

"Mr. Grey! Long time no..."

"How did photographs that should've been destroyed, get out?!" Christian spat. "Faye got one through the mail this morning from a Christian group trying to save her from her sins."

Xavier visibly paled. "I don't know. I only realized they were missing yesterday evening and Donny's on vacation. I'm sorry, I genuinely don't know. I've had no cause to look at them for a long time, a couple of years, maybe."

"_What?_ They could've been missing for a couple of _years?_ These are people's private lives, Xavier, you can't just leave that fucking unattended!"

"The cabinet was locked."

"Well clearly somebody unlocked it! Who has keys?"

"Just me and Donny. Look, you're masked nobody's going to know."

"My family and friends will know. Faye wasn't masked because of what she was doing and now someone's tracked her down and mailed it to her home address. She's a fucking School Teacher! She could lose her job!"

"I'm sorry."

"You will be fucking sorry if one ends up in the hands of the _Seattle Times_!"

"I don't know how anyone could have gotten hold of them unless someone took mine or Donny's keys. I'll be speaking to him as soon as he gets back."

"My security will be speaking to him as soon as he gets back. I want a copy of your members' list and attendance details. I want to know everyone who has _ever _passed through this fucking door! Somebody must have links to this bunch of do-gooders."

"I can't get you the list right now. Donny will need to help me access the file on the computer."

"What is it, an Excel document? An Access database? One of those and I can do it myself."

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Shit Xavier, how do you manage to keep your head above water?"

"I use pen and paper."

"How fucking modern of you!" Christian walked over to Xavier's desk and from his pocket pulled out his keys which had a memory stick on the key ring. He pulled it out of the holder and jabbed in into the USB port. He grabbed the mouse and started to search. A few clicks and he found it. "Done," he said, pulled the stick from the port and clicked it back onto his key ring. "So where is he?"

"Donny? He's in Hawaii."

"Nice."

"I've never been."

"Neither have I." There was a moment's silence between the two men. "So there's nothing I can do right now to track these photos down?" Christian bridled at his lack of a next move.

"I don't think so."

"You are aware of the position I'm in?"

"Yes. Great article on you in last Saturday's _Seattle Times Magazine_. You have an incredibly beautiful wife."

"I do."

"Is she a former sub?"

"No."

"Was she part of the scene?"

"No."

"So you really did meet her in your office?"

"Yes. Angels really do walk the earth."

"I'd like to meet her one day."

"Come to the Seattle Business Network launch and perhaps I'll introduce you. That is, if she doesn't eat you first."

Xavier gave a nervous laugh, so perhaps Grey did know that he'd married a lioness.

The office door opened and in came Elena, dressed in very little. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Christian!"

"Elena." He said coolly. It had been four years since he'd last seen her and he kept his eyes firmly on her face. Her exposed breasts were not something he wanted to see.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just shooting the breeze."

"You never do that."

"I do now." He said, still with a chill in his voice. "I do a lot of things I never used to."

"Like give interviews. Your children are adorable."

"I know."

"How is Anastasia?"

"Awesome." He snapped and turned back to Xavier. "I'll be in touch." Christian went to go. Elena placed her hand on his upper arm. He shrugged away.

"Christian, could we talk, please?"

"I don't think we have anything to say."

"I have things I want to say. Something I need to warn you about."

"Is it Marnie? Because, I got her message loud and clear."

"She's dating Linc."

He fixed her with an icy grey stare. "Is she now? Well that explains a lot."

"Please, Christian. Can we talk?"

"Why, Elena? What can we possibly have to say to one another?"

"I'd really like to know how you're doing."

"Read Kate's piece in the _Seattle Times_. It'll tell you how fabulously happy I am with my wife and children."

"Ouch," said Elena. "You really know how to twist the knife."

Christian didn't reply he knew it was a low blow.

Elena changed tack. "But it's good to see you here again. May I interest you in our new advanced course?"

Christian furrowed his brow. "You're instructing?"

"Yes. Shortage of people who know what they're doing."

"Did the bottom fall out of BDSM?"

Michael Xavier gave a chuckle at Christian's lame joke. "We're always looking for experienced practitioners, Mr. Grey, if you'd like to join our roster."

Christian gave a hollow laugh. "I don't think so. Your clients couldn't afford me."

"Oh, you'd be surprised who our list of clients now includes."

"I'm sure I will, once I've had a look at this file. Now I have to go." He nodded once to each of them. "Xavier, Elena," and he left the room. Elena hurried after him.

"Please, Christian!" She grabbed his arm and once again he wrenched it away.

"Stop touching me!" He warned.

"How things have changed," she said sadly. "Time was, when I was the only person that could touch you or that you would confide in."

"Things change. I found somebody who loves me."

"I love you."

Christian held his hand up and turned his face away from her. He didn't want to hear that. "Don't."

"I could do so much more for you than Anastasia can."

"_What?_ No you _couldn't!_ You couldn't…" He struggled to contain his rage. "…Even _begin_ to do for me what Ana does."

"What, you mean flat-line your business? I've seen your profits Christian. Hardly reaching for the stars now, are you?"

"What the fuck do you know about my business and what business is it of yours to comment?"

"It's no surprise. You get married, land yourself with two kids and take your eye off the ball. But if you're looking for something to invest in, I could use some expansion capital."

Christian smiled wryly and ran his tongue along his top teeth. "What part of _'I'm with Ana'_ don't you get? That includes making investments that might upset her. The answer is no. As for my business 'flat-lining', I have three words for you." He brought his face close to hers. "Watch. The. Papers," he said, turned on his heel and stalked away.

"I know where you're going" called Elena. "She told me you'd signed up for her class. She's way out of even your league, Christian."

He span back around. "I think I'll be the judge of what is and what isn't out of my league."

As Michael Xavier hung his robe back up on the peg in room four, he remembered the envelope he was supposed to post to Grey. He could have given it to him in person.

"Damn…" He muttered, annoyed at himself for forgetting to do that. His memory was starting to give him cause for concern. But it worked just fine where fantasies about Grey's deliciously fuckable wife were concerned. He looked forward to possibly getting that introduction.

**xXXx**

Christian quickly changed his clothes and darted into the room just as the clock on the wall moved to 7.02pm.

"Grey, you're late!" The woman said in clipped tones.

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

"We have much to get through and we start at seven o'clock _precisely," _she stressed. Christian made for a seat at the back of the room. "No, no, no, sit here, in front of me." She pointed to the seat directly in front of her. He was thirty two for fuck's sake and she was making him feel like a seven year old. Not unlike Elena had made him feel and that made a shudder go through him. He obediently took the directed seat and the woman fixed him with a stare than appeared to bore right through his skull. Her eyes were luminous green, those had to be contacts, he thought.

"You will make the extra two minutes up at the end. Once again, for the benefit of the _late_ Mr. Grey, this is the advanced course and I will expect those of you who don't know the techniques we mention, to discover and practice them between classes. I am available between times for extra tuition…"

Christian zoned out and thought about where he'd told Ana he'd be tonight - at the Seattle Yacht Club Regatta meeting. If she knew he'd lied to her and come here instead, she wouldn't be happy. But this was for her benefit. He wanted to surprise her for her birthday. Putting himself through the indignity of being ordered around like a small child again was worth it. He'd do anything for his beloved Ana, even submit himself to this humiliation for twelve weeks. He looked across the room to another man who was smirking at him for being busted by _Fraulein Whiplash_ for being late. While their domineering tutor looked the other way, Christian glowered and flipped him the bird.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7  
11pm, Thursday, June 25****th**

Christian arrived back at the house. As he stepped out of the car Taylor appeared and removed the black hold-all from the back seat of the car. "Gail will see to this." He said. Christian was grateful to his staff for being complicit in his lies. "Do you need me to schedule some extra sessions for you, Mr. Grey?"

"Yes please. I'll need to see her as much as she can fit me in."

"I'll make the arrangements."

"Thanks. Is everything OK here?"

Taylor's face was an instant giveaway that it wasn't. "Mrs. Grey barely touched her evening meal and she was on the phone to Kate for over an hour discussing Miss Moore. Mrs. Grey seems worried."

Christian nodded in understanding. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

He grabbed his suit jacket and made his way into the house, shutting the front door softly behind him and tossing his jacket onto the stairs. He walked into the living room, but Ana wasn't there. Neither was she in the kitchen, the dining room, either one of their studies, the gym, the pool area or any of the first floor rooms. He made his way upstairs, checking on Ted and Phoebe; both of them sleeping soundly and oblivious to the maelstrom that threatened to unleash itself on their lives. He kissed them both and went off again in search of their mommy.

Ana wasn't in their bedroom, their bathroom or any of the other bedrooms on this floor. Christian ran back downstairs and noticed that the French windows in the living room were slightly ajar, something he'd missed earlier. Stepping out through the gossamer curtains he found her. She was sitting on the terrace, pencil in hand, manuscript in front of her and staring blankly into the darkness. She didn't notice him and from this vantage point he could clearly see the concern etched on her face.

"Ana?" He said, but she didn't react. "Ana?" He repeated and she turned to face him, her expression changing to one of relief.

"Oh you're back!" She gasped, as if she'd held in a breath for the longest time. He went over to her and knelt down, taking her face in his hands and kissing her. Ana's hands ran through his hair before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him. He broke the kiss and held her face a few inches away from his.

"You've been worrying. That's not allowed." He kissed her again.

"I can't help it." She whispered. "What if…?"

"There will be no _'what if…?_' She won't find out."

"But Kate…" Christian kissed her again, smothering her protest. Ana pulled away. "Marnie's got Baker." She said. Ana's eyes were wide with fear.

"I know."

"How?"

"It was what the meeting with Sylvie was about. He was there, they were all there. Sylvie wants us to work together and put on a united front."

"That's good, but…"

"But, what?"

"They don't know about you. Oh, Christian!" He saw the tears start to fall from her eyes and he crushed her to him, he was angry now, angry that she was letting herself be affected by this silly bitch!

"There's nothing to worry about," he said through gritted teeth as he continued to hold her. "Nothing, do you hear me?" He pulled back and held her gently by the shoulders, looking deeply into eyes that were now swimming with tears. "They won't talk, there are safeguards in place, there is _nothing_ she can get me on and I have Sawyer keeping an eye on things just in case. I know what I'm doing Ana. Trust me."

"I do! But journalists, they're…. _ruthless!_"

"And two can play at that game. Sawyer is digging around in her past. Let's see what he uncovers. Why are you sitting out here in the dark?"

Ana shrugged. "I came out to work earlier. I didn't realize it had gotten so dark. I was just thinking."

"Worrying, more like," Christian admonished. "Don't. You have better things to concern yourself with than her. Taylor said Kate called. What did she say?" Christian pulled up a chair and sat down.

"That Marnie turned up at the _Times_ crowing like a rooster and Hewlett almost hoisted her on his shoulders."

"Did she tell you how they find out? I didn't get the opportunity to ask Jared, he wasn't really in the mood to talk."

"It was through his current P.A. He made a pass and she told a friend, who told a friend, who told Marnie Moore. Moore didn't think it would be the first time he'd done it and went back down the line. That's how these things start. What if one of your previous…"

"Ana, they wouldn't, they know the score. Besides, they have lives too that they want to protect."

"How did things go with Faye?" She asked quietly.

"There's nothing much to report. We didn't say a great deal and she left with Susannah. Has she been in contact with you?"

"No. Why did Faye come to see you?"

Christian didn't want to tell Ana about the photograph. He knew how she felt about the ones he still held as security against exposure. Those seemed a little moot now. "I don't know the specifics, we didn't really talk much about it and I may not be the right person to speak to if she has issues about what we did. But I appreciate how she may feel judged by someone who doesn't have experience of this. I hope Susannah can help."

"I'll call her tomorrow."

"You get on with Susannah, OK?" He asked, curious about Ana's new-found friendship.

"We're not BFFs but we have a lot in common. She's smart, a professional woman and she likes books. She's ditched Grainger by the way." Ana gave a grin. "There's only so much a woman can take." Christian raised his eyebrows. "Not that way," she added, playfully swatting his shoulder. "He never stops talking, eating or drinking. Plus his idea of foreplay is massaging her breasts for thirty seconds. She's gotten used to men who know what they're doing and Grainger couldn't find the right spot with two hands and a flashlight."

Christian snickered. "I never knew what she was doing with him."

"I have my suspicions." Ana looked down and picked at something on her skirt. "I suspect it was a way to see you."

"Ana, I would…"

"I know." Ana placed a finger on his lips. "Whatever her reasons for hooking up with him, they're immaterial now. But I guess you're a hard act to follow. Leila, Susannah and now Faye? All still not quite moving on, not quite finding the right guy."

"Faye has." He asserted. "She's married."

"But she sought you out, Christian. Who's to say that in time the rest won't? That they're not living lives of quiet desperation because they can't have you?" Ana cupped the side of his face and Christian leaned into it. "I don't think you understand the effect you might've had on these women. You may have given the impression that you were distant and cold, but right from the start there was something about you that I found easy to love and I think they saw it too. I don't think…" she added hesitantly. "That I could easily cope… if you were with someone else."

Christian was appalled. "Ana, don't start this shit about not being good enough for me. Because, if you do I will put you over my knee right now!"

"No, it's not that at all." She placated him, smoothing her hands over his shoulders. "I'm just making an observation, that if it was me in their shoes, I wouldn't be able to let you go."

"Ana, my relationship with you has always been completely different. I never broke my own rules for any of them. I never staked out a hardware store, or flew across the country to be with them. I never allowed them to be photographed with me, or any of the other ways that you utterly overwhelmed me when you came into my life. What they had of me was from the neck down. My mind never went into overdrive like it did the first time I saw you and I couldn't stay away, I told you that. I know for a fact that I could never give _you _up. If you left me there wouldn't be a restraining order on the planet to keep me away from you." Christian's seriousness was in contrast to the smirk on Ana's face.

"You think I don't know that?" She smiled, cupping his face.

"I'm just letting you know how it is with me. You're mine," he said darkly, standing up and pulling aside his chair. "To love and to cherish, to care for and protect…" he bent down and scooped her up into his arms. "…And to take to our bed and make love to until morning. Or, whatever it was that I promised to do." He kissed her. "Now, no more crap about me not being able to protect you from journalists, or I will reacquaint your bottom with my twitchy palm."

"Reacquaint? Your twitchy palm and my bottom are old friends and we have the photographs to prove it."

Photographs were not something Christian wanted to be reminded of this evening. He smiled but said nothing and carried Ana upstairs.

"Put me down," she said at the top of the stairs. He rolled his eyes because he knew what came next. Ana couldn't give herself over to the throes of passion if she hadn't checked on the children first. As much as he loved them, there were times when he wished he could get her all the way to their bedroom without having to make this detour. He'd checked on them when he came in, but his checks weren't _Mommy_ checks. She needed to see for herself. He smiled and leaned on the doorpost of Teddy's room as Ana kissed her son and retrieved his escaped Buzz Lightyear from under the bed. He snickered. He'd missed that and it would probably save the 3am wake-up call when Ted started shouting that he couldn't find it. Phoebe was exactly as Christian had left her and in sleep she reminded him even more of Ana, with her pale skin, rosebud lips and long, dark lashes. His delight in playing with Ted to vicariously replace his own miserable early years was countered by his growing sense of protection of Phoebe. He knew from the moment she was born that life was going to get tough at the point when boys came on the scene. Nightmare Dad wouldn't come close! Was it wrong to hope - for his own sanity - that she was attracted to girls? And she was so self-contained, it drove him nuts! But what could he expect? She was half of him - Ana's looks coupled with his ability to remain in control. A potentially devastating combination.

Finally, Ana was satisfied and they left Phoebe's room.

"Now can I make love to you?" He asked, in mock pique.

"If you must." Ana joked and then failed to stifle a yawn.

Christian arched an eyebrow. "Am I boring you?"

"No, I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day."

"Tell me about it." Christian muttered.

They ambled into their bedroom. Ana kicked off her shoes and went to sit on the side of the bed. Her hand rubbed at her lower left leg. The scars from the surgery had healed, but she'd been left with some residual pain. Christian darted into the bathroom and returned with the bottle of massage oil.

"Shall I do that?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Stand up, let me undress you."

Christian unbuttoned her soft pink blouse and gently pulled it out of the waistband of her skirt. At the base of her throat was a small reddened triangle of skin where she'd caught the sun. He kissed it. It was warm to the touch and salty to the taste from the perspiration of the day. He continued, kissing around the base of her neck, inhaling the fading notes of her perfume. She sighed, tugging his shirt out of his pants and wrapping her hands around his waist. In contrast to Ana he was freshly showered, his lie about going for a run covered why he needed to shower before he came home on Thursdays.

His lips kissed their way up her throat and over her chin to her mouth and as he kissed her lips he pulled the blouse off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He undid her skirt and pushed it down over her hips, hearing the soft pile of fabric collapse in a pool at her feet. Ana started on his shirt buttons as he skimmed his hands over her hips and took a tour of her body with his eyes. In silence she removed his shirt, running her fingers lightly down his chest to his pants. She undid the button but left his zip and knelt down to unlace and remove his shoes and socks. She glanced back up at him as she pulled down the zip of his pants and had those and his shorts around his ankles in one swift movement. He stepped out of them and Ana pushed the discarded clothing to one side. Starting on his upper right thigh she gently kissed around him in a semi-circle, looking up after each kiss, her cheek and then her chin softly stroking him. He played with strands of her hair that had come adrift and then undid the clip, watching the cascade of brunette waves fall over her shoulders. He stroked her hair as she finished her transit and closed his eyes as her line of kisses worked up his length to the tip. He smiled down at her and gently lifted her to her feet.

"You're distracting me." He whispered.

Ana smiled. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but your legs need attention."

She gently closed her hand around him. "And you need attention."

"Your need is greater." He smiled and reached around her to unclip her bra, removed it and tossed it on to the pile of discarded clothes. He turned around grabbed the cushions off the bed and threw the quilt back. "Lie down," he said.

Ana lay down and clasped her hands above her head. Christian sat between her legs, picked up her left foot and rested it against his chest. He squirted some of the oil onto his hands and began to gently massage it in to her lower leg working in large light circles. It soothed her aching legs and helped her skin to heal. He did the same to her right leg and then continued, worked up each thigh, skimming the lace of her panties with his long strokes. As he worked he heard Ana's breathing change as she gradually drifted off to sleep. He smiled and trailed a line of kisses up her soft stomach. He finished with a gentle kiss of her lips, prompting a soft, squeaky sigh from her.

He flipped down the cap of the massage oil and took it back into the bathroom. He washed his hands and glanced up at himself in the mirror. He suddenly felt as tired as he looked as the weight of the day settled on him.

He got into bed and pulled the quilt over them both. As much as he wanted to sink himself into her he was glad that she'd fallen asleep, it was becoming a scare commodity in her life. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her, beautifully relaxed and worthy of adoration. She was good at knowing when he was holding something back and if she'd looked into his eyes as they made love tonight he wasn't sure that he'd have be able to keep his silly secrets from her.

He should tell her about the photograph, he knew that, but if he did it would just make her worry more and she was already agitated about Moore's investigations. He had the fifteen photographs of his subs still locked away in the safe and now there was one of him. OK, so he was wearing a mask, but it didn't cover all of his face and his hair color was a dead giveaway.

He thought back to those few minutes he'd spent with Faye earlier today. He'd been twenty-one and he'd been almost clumsy with her by his standards, now. She was four years older, with experience and that's why Xavier had suggested her to him, knowing that for someone who was still learning she'd know if he was doing anything unsafely. And he had, leaving a hideous rope burn on her when a knot slipped. Of all of them he had to admit that Faye was the one who elicited the fondest memories, precisely because everything with her had been so fresh and new. Being out from under Elena (literally) and feeling in total control for the first time in his life had been a heady feeling. But that was nothing compared to the totally out-of-control love that he felt for Ana. Every day with Ana was fresh and new and every day brought a thousand examples of how he wasn't in control anymore because his wife's negotiation skills were second to none, Ted wanting to play could clear his desk in seconds and Phoebe was turning out to be a baby Domme in a diaper. He smiled to himself. In many ways his life had come full circle and he was the submissive again. He looked at Ana sleeping soundly beside him and inched closer. Getting on his knees to her had resulted in his greatest joy.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8  
11.20am, Friday, June 26****th**

The heat was still unbearable and Kate was feeling uncomfortable within minutes of being back in the newsroom after the morning editorial. The air conditioning was wholly inadequate and she could feel her shirt starting to cling to her. A lot of other things were becoming uncomfortable too; not least Moore's incessant gloating and Josh Hewlett's sycophancy. Worse, was that Moore was like a bitch on heat and the male-dominated newsroom had noticed. Kate wanted to be out of there, but she needed to know what progress Marnie had made with the other CEOs. She couldn't care less about the rest of them, but about Christian, Ana was right; they were Team Grey and Kate wanted to know _exactly_ what Moore knew and be prepared to take her out should there be the slightest chance that she'd stumbled over the truth.

She busied herself writing this week's article, but her fingers were sticky on the keys and the back of her neck felt like it had picked up a layer of grime. As she wrote, her head started to wander, thinking not about what she was writing but about Christian's previous lifestyle. Being who he was how had he met these women? Obviously he didn't trawl the streets of Seattle, but there must've been a contact, or a place where he went? And then it hit her, Susannah Moss would know. Kate clicked on her contacts.

At Grey Construction's tenth Anniversary celebration, Kate had shrewdly asked for Susannah's details, vaguely suggesting lunch sometime and it was about time she made good on the offer. Susannah worked as a lawyer at Lane, Neill and O'Driscoll, only a block from Grey House and it was the work of a minute to arrange lunch later that day. As her phone dropped back into the cradle it rang again. She picked it up.

"Katherine Kavanagh-Grey."

"Hi babe," came the familiar drawl of her husband. If she was feeling hot and steamy now then his voice had sent the temperature even higher.

"Hi." She smiled, thinking back to their deliciously cool shower sex this morning.

"I'm hot, I need another shower."

"Really?" Kate smiled, leaned back in her chair and swung from side to side.

"I'm close by."

"Where?"

"In the lobby of your building."

Kate grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"I've just finished a meeting. Does your building have a shower?"

"No." She sighed.

"Pity. Hey, Christian's does. Shall we see if he wouldn't mind stepping out for a half hour?"

"Elliot!" She said sitting bolt upright, a little shocked by his idea. But a cool shower with her husband in this heat sounded like an illicit slice of bliss. "A half hour? Is that all you can spare me?" She smirked.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Scott McDowell, one of the photographers. He was working solidly away, the only man in the room who wasn't taking notice of Marnie and for that he'd gone up in her estimation. She speculated about his sexuality being the reason why he could resist the flagrant bitch in the corner. The rest of the men were eyeing Marnie with drooling mouths and frequent visits to their crotches. Kate angled herself away, as if protecting Elliot from Marnie. "Are you going to call him?" She whispered. She was thrilled by the idea.

"Yes."

"OK!" Kate whispered breathlessly. "I'll be down shortly."

She put down the phone and checked her watch. She could have nearly a whole hour with Elliot and still make it to the restaurant on time to meet Susannah. Perhaps this time she'd have the courage to tell Elliot what she wanted.

She got up from her desk, feeling icky as the lining of her skirt stuck to her legs in the heat. All around her desk fans were whirring, men's shirts were being unbuttoned a little more and over in the far corner Marnie looked like she was stripping down to her bra and thong.

Kate collected her purse and walked out of the room praying that Christian would come through. Even if he couldn't she wanted to see Elliott anyway and they could find somewhere to go for an hour. She hurried to the elevator and appraised herself in the gleaming metal as it descended the four floors. She was glowing and the curls of her hair were already clinging slightly around her face. The doors opened out into the busy lobby but she saw Elliot instantly; tie off, shirt open three buttons and looking equally at the mercy of the heat. She reached him. "Anything?" She asked breathlessly. They kissed.

"No, net yet. There was no reply so I texted him."

"What did you say?"

"That I'm in town and could I use his shower to freshen up."

"Did you mention me?"

Elliott wrinkled his nose. "No. He'd put two and two together and knowing him, he'd stay in the office and shout obscenities through the door," he grinned. "It's good to see you. Man, this heat is insane." He stripped off his jacket there were already damp patches under his arms. "I might need to borrow a fresh shirt from him."

"Guess he wouldn't have a fresh set of clothes for me?"

"No, but his office could probably get some couriered over from any store in the city," Elliot smiled. "So if we can't do this, are you going back upstairs?"

"No, I'm sure we could find a quiet corner." She put her arms around him. "It's always lovely to see you, especially today. I am _this close_ to clubbing that woman to death."

"I don't get why you're so uptight. I think Christian's difficulties during his teenage years are well known. It's hardly going to be an exposé. The revelation that he wasn't gay was more of a surprise." Elliot smirked. "Other than that, he's had some out-of-place hair and that's about it."

_Oh Elliot_, _if you only knew what's in your brother's closet, you'd know why I'm so uptight._

"People love to whine about their issues," she said. "If he's pissed someone off, they'll talk."

"Well I'm going to whine about him about not replying to his…" Elliot's phone beeped. "Ah!" He checked the message. "Yes! We're in! He's down in Portland." Elliot grabbed Kate's hand. "Let's get a cab."

**xXXx**

The elevator doors slid open and as they approached the large desk, Kate could see exactly what Ana meant by _not working out with Megan_. On the counter behind the desk, where Andrea kept a few, neatly stacked files at most, it was a scene of devastation. There were open files and papers everywhere and Kate could understand why Christian wanted Andrea back so badly. He detested disorganization and she could only think it was this bad because Christian was out of the office. Elliot too seemed to sense that things weren't right and he gave a couple of worried glances to Kate.

"Hi." He said. "I assume my brother told you I was on my way?"

"Yes, Mr. Grey." Megan looked hot and disheveled but the air conditioning was working fine at Grey House. She gave a quick glance to Kate, no doubt questioning why she was here. "You can go through."

Elliot pushed the door open on Christian's empty office. "There's something off about her." He muttered. "Did you notice her eyes?"

"Not particularly."

"She's taken something."

"Are you sure?"

"I've been around enough users to know. Christian won't like that."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Yes."

"Elliot, she could lose her job!"

He turned to her. "Do you know what happened to Christian's birth mother? Do you know the issues he has with drugs because of that? He has a published policy here, she'll know the rules and she's breaking them. She should quit if she can't do the job without drugs. He needs to get Andrea back, and fast."

"Andrea's just had a baby."

"Well, that woman behind the desk should not be Christian's P.A." Elliot snapped, he was angry.

"Why are you so mad?" Kate asked. "This isn't your company. This is Christian's business, these are his staff and it must be working enough for her to still be here. If she wasn't, she'd be out. Christian doesn't suffer fools. Anyhow, I thought we came to use his shower not snoop on his staff?"

"We did, but even so, I need to let him know. She could fuck something up and cause a problem. This Singapore deal is _huge_ and if it were me I'd be giving Andrea suitcases of cash just to come in."

"He already offered that. Ana pulled him up on it, said he'd have to cope."

"Well I suppose Ana's the one who'll have to cope with him if it goes tits up because of something that woman missed."

"I don't believe for one minute that Christian will be anything less than one hundred percent prepared for this. He'll know what he needs even if Megan doesn't." Kate undid another button on Elliot's shirt. "Now you're even more steamed up and in need of a shower." She kissed him.

"Sure am," he drawled and pulled her into Christian's bathroom.

It was more than a bathroom. There was also a large dressing area which included a reclining armchair. Kate pulled open a door and found a modest closet kitted out with several sets of Christian's clothes. Off the dressing area was a bathroom with a vast walk-in shower. It had everything a CEO needed to rest and freshen-up during a busy day.

"When I get myself new premises, I'm going to ask the architect for one of these. I totally get the sense of having them now." Elliot turned to Kate. "You need to be anywhere soon?"

"I have a lunch with someone at one, but I'm at your disposal until then."

"At my disposal?" He narrowed his eyes and started on the buttons of her shirt, removing it carefully and draping it over the back of a chair. Kate stepped out of her shoes, immediately dropping four inches off her height, bringing her eyes level with Elliot's chest, a view she was more than happy to look at. He reached behind her and undid her skirt, sliding it down her thighs. Kate stepped out of it and Elliot lay it carefully on the chair.

What she really wanted to do right now was talk to him. Her head was becoming the driving force for sex and Elliot wasn't really getting the message that, for her, a little anticipation was a very good thing. He had a great body and Kate loved what he could do with it, but her needs were getting more cerebral. She wanted to know what he was planning, but Elliot wasn't a great talker and was quickly on her mouth, any chance to explain what she wanted, gone.

She started on his shirt buttons and found herself caught up in running her hands over and kissing his broad chest. Damn, he was too much to resist! As she moved her hands lower and unfastened his pants she discovered that he was naked under them. She looked up at him and he shrugged. "Guess I forgot this morning," he said with a grin and then sighed as Kate took him in her hands.

Their clothes neatly folded, they stepped into the shower and unleashed a torrent of water that had all the power of Niagara Falls.

"Woah!" said Elliot. "Are you supposed to wash in this or drown yourself? I was expecting something a little less fierce."

Kate fiddled with the controls, brought it down to a gentler stream of water and stepped under it. As she'd imagined, it was cool bliss and Elliot was instantly there, the water cascading over them as they kissed. His hands explored her body, skimming lightly over her curves until they found their rest in the small of her back and he pulled her close. Kate desperately hoped Christian had a hairdryer. _Post-coital drowned rat_ was not her best look

It hadn't occurred to her to ask Elliot how much time he had; less than her, judging by how quickly he had her lifted and pinned up against the wall. As he filled her she arched her back relishing in how sexy it felt to be doing this somewhere unexpected. To seize the moment and make the most of opportunities that presented themselves. This was also something she loved.

Elliot suddenly stilled. "Do you have to go to this lunch thing?"

Kate was uneasy, she really wanted to speak to Susannah, but more time with Elliot was tempting. "I don't _have _to, I could re-schedule. Why?"

"There's a fold-out bed in one of the wall panels here."

"You want to use the bed instead?"

"Not instead, as well."

Kate smoothed Elliot's wet hair back from his face and kissed him. "Who are you and what have you done with Elliot Grey?"

"That's my line to you. What have you done to me? I can't get enough of you! It's like when we first met all over again."

"I'm not complaining." Kate sighed as Elliot started to move. If only he would give her an audio commentary this would be off the scale for her. Why did she find it so tough to talk intimately to him?

"So, you got time for more?" Elliot asked when they'd finished and were washing one another. Kate didn't reply immediately. Elliot took a closer look at her face and saw a familiar look. "Ah, don't worry; I see you're on to something. Or someone."

"Sorry, I'd love to stay but the woman I'm meeting has some information and I really don't want to leave it over the weekend. Can you ask Christian if we could come back another time?" Kate was angling to use more than his office, but she knew any request to use the room at Escala would be met with an emphatic 'no'. She dashed the thought of it from her mind and moved back in to enjoy some final moments of sweet stolen time with her husband.

There was a hairdryer and as Kate finished getting dressed, Elliot pulled open every drawer and cupboard in the bathroom, just to be nosey. He'd used a squirt from every bottle, borrowed Christian's electric shaver, swiped a pair of his brother's shorts (a snug fit) and put on a clean shirt which didn't do up at the neck, but that was no big deal in this heat. Now he was rifling through what his brother kept in the bathroom.

"Band-Aid? Boring. Vaseline? Mildly interesting. Handcream? What a girl…"

"Elliot…"

"Bingo! Condoms. Huh? I thought Ana got shots?"

"She does. Elliot, you really shouldn't…"

"Urgh!" Elliot pulled a used condom out of the drawer. "No way. Seriously, no fucking way is that him." Elliot inspected the contents. "That's fresh."

"How do you even _know?_"

Elliot looked at his wife ruefully. "I've left a couple lying around in my time."

"Thank you for that lovely image, darling."

"You did ask. But, seriously, Christian hasn't been here today and this looks far too liquid to be anything other than fresh. I think we have more than a P.A. on some illegal substance to tell Christian about. He'll go fucking nuts."

"Well, I'll let you handle that." Kate's lovely time with her husband was ebbing away.

Elliot frowned. "Wouldn't you want to know if someone was using your office without your permission?"

"What if it's Christian?"

Elliot stared at her. "No. I would stake my life on that not being Christian, on one reason alone; he's a neat freak. He wouldn't do something as gross as that. It's not even tied off. No, I think someone's coming in here when he's not around and using this place for the thrill of it."

"Hmm… Like us then?"

"That's different, I asked. Besides, it's not a thrill. It's Christian. How thrilling can Mr. Corporate be, for fuck's sake?"

Kate didn't want to dwell on that. She picked up her purse. "I have to go." She said.

Elliot stood up, holding the used rubber out in front of him as if it was toxic waste and tied it off. Kate backed away from him. "Will you put that thing down," she griped, but Elliot didn't listen, holding it up and inspecting the contents.

"Do you think he'll want to DNA test this?" he asked. Behind him the door opened and Christian himself walked in. Elliot turned around and held the condom out to him. "Not one of yours I hope?"

"What the…?" Christian's face emphatically said no. "Where the fuck was that?"

"In the bottom drawer, with your condoms."

"Condoms? I don't use condoms."

Elliot bent down, yanked open the bottom drawer and two boxes of them slid forward.

"What the _fuck?_" Christian exclaimed and Kate saw her brother-in-law's face turn from confused to incandescent in a nanosecond. He turned on his heel and strode from the room. Elliot hurried after him and grabbed him by the shoulder just as he reached his office door.

"Christian. If you're going to blow off at Megan, there's something else you need to know before you do. Look at her eyes."

Christian checked himself and looked seriously at Elliot. "You think she's taken something?"

"Yes." He said quietly. "It's like looking at Sandy all over again."

'_Sandy? Who's she?'_ thought Kate.

"OK." Christian exhaled. He took the condom from Elliot and held it up. "Of all the things…" He shook his head sadly and then glancing at Kate a sardonic smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. "You look freshly showered. Don't tell me… you were passing?"

"No, we intentionally came down here to have sex in your bathroom." Kate smiled innocently. "I thought you were in Portland?"

"I was just about to fly back when Elliot contacted me." He turned to his brother and smirked. "When you move offices, Ana and I will pitch up and fuck in _your_ bathroom, OK?"

"Deal." Elliot shrugged.

"And is that my shirt?"

"Yes. I'm wearing your shorts too."

"You can get your ass in them?"

"Ass, yes. Dick, no."

"That's not something I want to imagine," said Christian. "Now if you've quite finished going through my stuff, I have an employee to drug test and possibly fire." He turned back to the door.

"Christian?" Said Kate and he turned back to face her. "Do you think that's a good idea? If she's not coping and you fire her then what's to say she won't go speak to a friendly person at the _Seattle Times _and tell them what a tyrant of a boss you are?"

"Megan knows my zero tolerance towards drugs and the consequences of testing positive are clearly stated in the company's policy. I have asked her many times whether she needs extra help and she's always said no, she was fine with Beth."

"Just don't go in all guns blazing, please. She looks very fragile. Help her."

"Kate, I don't have the time to play nursemaid to my staff. Right now, I'm _this_ close to losing it with her and if she is taking drugs that's the last straw. I know Ana insists that I don't ask Andrea back yet but I _need_ her. I don't have time to go through this yet again with someone new and I don't want Megan in this building if she's on drugs."

"Look," Kate tried to placate him. "Why don't you call Andrea, and explain what you suspect. Ask her if she'll consider part-time, even just to get you through the Singapore deal? She wouldn't see you stuck and we'll agree not to tell Ana."

"OK. But there's still this to deal with." He held up the condom. Christian opened the door and the three of them trooped out into the outer office. Kate hadn't noticed it earlier, but now she did. Megan's pupils were pinpricks.

"Megan. Can you explain to me what two boxes of condoms and, more pertinently, _this_ is doing in my bathroom?" He held up the used rubber. Kate could hear the ice in his voice, knowing now what Ana meant when she'd called him mercurial. The girl behind the desk went puce. "Have you been using my bathroom?" He asked.

"Yes, sir."

"With whom?" Christian snapped.

"My… boyfriend." Megan replied. She could not meet Christian's eye.  
"Does he work in this building?"

"Yes sir."

"I want to see both you and him in my office at two. In the meantime, get yourself down to the med center and ask for a drug screening test. I want the results emailed directly to me within the hour and I'll deal with what that report says when I see you both at two."

Megan went a deeper shade of puce. "Yes sir."

"Get rid of this!" Christian flung the condom at her. She tried to catch it, but missed and it landed with a splat on the desk in front of her. Christian was furious. Elliot clasped him briefly on the shoulder but he shrugged it off, strode back into his office and slammed the door. Elliot took that as the cue that it was time to leave and guided Kate quickly into the elevator.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9  
Luigi's Restaurant. 1.00pm. Friday, June 26****th**

Kate had asked for a secluded corner table and it wasn't long before Susannah arrived. The lawyer was immaculately dressed in a soft linen dress the color of stone and her brunette hair fell in soft waves to her breasts. It was alarming just how similar she and Ana were. They could be sisters.

"Thank you for meeting me at such short notice," Kate said, greeting Susannah with a kiss on the cheek.

"It's a pleasure." Susannah replied and took the seat opposite at the circular four-person table. They ordered quickly and the waiter returned with a carafe of ice-cold water.

"I wish this could be purely social," Kate said. "But sadly, I really need to ask you some questions about…"

Susannah held up her hand. "Kate, I can't talk about my time with him."

"I know you can't. But there's a colleague of mine – well, sort of colleague - digging around and I want to know for myself where any weak links might exist." Kate colored a little. "Also, on a more personal note, I'm curious how a woman like you gets into stuff like that. Could I ask about things more generally?"

"Such as?"

"Well… He told me there are places you can go to learn…" Kate cast a quick glance around the restaurant. "… how to do that stuff. And I wondered whether he met you at one of them?"

"I'm sorry. I can't answer that."

"Why?"

"You're asking me to be specific."

"Oh."

"Keep it general."

"OK. Do you attend any of these places?"

"Yes. I used to go to a couple, but just one now."

"Where is it?"

Susannah laughed. "You get straight to the point." She poured herself a glass of water. "It's in the basement of a building, on a business park. Not glamorous at all."

Kate leant forward. "Can you take me?" Her eyes were bright.

"Why?" Susannah's expression was guarded.

"Curiosity. I've never been to one."

"Are you going to write a feature? Because if you are, the answer's no."

"No. I just want to be better informed. "

Susannah regarded her for a moment. "So how much do you know? About myself and our mutual friend? What's Ana said?"

"Nothing specific. She's keeps it general."

"And he knows that you and Ana talk about… his past?" Susannah seemed surprised.

"It's not the only thing we talk about. Ana and I have been friends a long time. Sometimes, things from the past come up and Ana's glad that I know and that she can talk to me about it. For someone who isn't part of that world it can be a lot to deal with."

"I understand. She's asked me about the past a couple of times, but we mostly talk about the future."

"That's good, but sadly, all this woman wants to do is dig around in the past and probably expose our friend as the devil incarnate."

"He isn't that, although he's no saint." Susannah leaned back in her chair. "You must have a good relationship with him though. Your article was pretty…" Susannah smiled. "Affectionate, shall we say?"

"There's nothing going on, despite you seeing us in his… room."

"I'm sure there isn't. It doesn't take a genius to work out how besotted he is by Ana."

"I know. Although at first I wasn't sure he was suitable boyfriend material. I can't believe I thought that way. But back then he was a different guy. Very shut down, very intimidating, very… controlling. _Ha ha!_" Kate gave an ironic laugh. "That's not how he is now. He's a different person and with all they have together as a family, I don't want to see this woman bring him down with a past that he's worked so hard to free himself from." Kate checked herself. "I mean the reasons why he was doing what he did. I don't mean to imply that he needed to be free of you, or any of the others."

Susannah shook her head. "This is bizarre, hearing you speak so intimately about him. Do you think he'd mind you being so candid? But I guess you don't have the kind of relationship that requires an NDA. There've been many times when I've wished I could talk about things. I was grateful that Leila was there for a while and that she understood. And now I'm in contact with another and it's like Leila and myself all over again."

"I heard another one turned up." Kate's expression hardened a touch. "But you know that Ana and Christian are not negotiable?"

"Of course! It's not like that. This woman hasn't ever had the chance to talk about things and being able to speak about it to someone who understands is extremely healing. Leila and I have had that facility for several years and it's good to be able to share it someone else. It's also a little ironic that the moment I can truly let go is the moment when he needs me to help him out." She rolled her eyes.

"Did you know that you all look basically the same? I can't get over how much you look like Ana. Don't you find yourself asking why her and not you?"

"Leila and I suspected but seeing Ana confirmed it. I really can't give any more headspace to that question; those are his issues, not mine. But I've come to realize that it worked with Ana because he allowed himself to step out of his comfort zone." Susannah took another sip of water. "I don't know what would tip me over into breaching the agreement, but I will say this. I know now that it could never have been one of us who could reach him. It had to be someone who wouldn't allow him to dictate the rules.

"I meant what I said at the Grey Construction party, by the way. I do want to leave the scene, but I can't get what I need out in the real world. I can't get men who are exciting enough for me for the long term." She shrugged. "He was too good." She smiled, sadly.

"So the men that go to this club give you what you need?"

"Yes and no. Mostly sexually, yes. I can tell them in detail what I want and I get it. In the job that I do I have to be in control and I have to be the one that makes all the decisions. So for me not to have to think about or make decisions about one aspect of my life is liberating. I don't have a regular Dom and I'm not really searching for that, I want more. I want a guy who's as fascinating outside the club as he is inside. One that makes my heart beat a little faster because he's more my age and good-looking." She smiled sheepishly. "The club isn't what it was. A lot of the people who go have been there a long time and it can get a little desperate some nights."

"I thought people would be lining up to get in?"

"Not really. It's a hard thing to publicize and the guy who owns it doesn't feel the need to. I only go occasionally now and do scenes with the same men. Outside of that I date the occasional guy and play the regular girlfriend. But that's not me."

"Would you take me there, please?" Kate asked again.

"Why? It's not a regular bar. You don't go there to be seen. You go there because you want something you can't get anywhere else. You'll see people acting in ways that you might find unsettling. Or, dressed in ways that you might find uncomfortable to see."

Kate shrugged. "I've spent the occasional evening searching Google images, how bad can it be?"

Susannah looked her straight in the eye. "Depends who shows up. It could be the man who likes his sub dressed in her finery. Or it could be the woman who keeps her sub naked and only lets he or she drink from a saucer on the floor. That's if she agrees to let them off the leash at all."

"I'm OK with that."

"Would you be OK if anyone asked you to go with them? Those who aren't with a regular partner will ask."

"Can I say no?"

"Only the first time. If you come back again you'd be expected to participate. And if a man asks me for a scene and I want to go with him, do you want to watch?"

Kate shrugged. "OK."

"And it's not the kind of place where you wear regular clothes. They're not allowed. Do you have something that you'd only wear in the bedroom?"

"Yes."

"Bring that."

"OK. So, when?"

"A week Thursday?"

"Uh… Elliot goes to the gym on Thursdays. I'll have to get a sitter."

Susannah laughed. "This is why people stop coming. Once they have kids there are other priorities in their lives." Susannah steepled her index fingers in front of her mouth. "But do you promise me that whatever you see there will stay private?"

"I do."

"There may be people you know, so prepare yourself for that. It can get awkward when you discover the truth about people."

"I've been there, remember?" Said Kate, thinking back to the shock she'd gotten when she'd discovered Christian's secret.

"It can change how you view people, so please be respectful of that."

"Chicken Caesar Salad?" said the waiter. Susannah indicated that it was her.

"And the Greek Salad for you, ma'am?"

"Yes thanks," said Kate, wishing now that she'd ordered something a little more substantial. All this talking about and having sex was making her hungry.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10  
Grey House, 3.40pm. Friday, June 26****th**

Christian called Andrea's cell. It went straight to her familiar cheery message telling him to leave a message and she'd get back to him. He listened, imagining her striding into his office, her very presence reassuring him that everything was under control and it was going to be alright.

"Help. I've fired Megan. Call me, _please_." he implored. He took the phone away from his ear, pressed the screen to end the call and threw his BlackBerry down on the desk where it skittered over the polished wood, pitched off the front and onto the floor. _"Fuck."_ He muttered and exhaled, sinking his head into his hands and wishing the ground would swallow him up. Firing people used to be so easy; back in the days when he didn't have a heart, or feelings, just total and utter control. And where had getting a new heart from the Wizard of Oz, (AKA his wife), gotten him? His office exploited as an exciting place to have sex by his temporary P.A. and her scrotum of a boyfriend from accounts. Plus she was off her head on Vicodin, to boot.

Megan had been genuinely remorseful whereas her fuckwit boyfriend, Liam, had been an example of what might have been, had Christian not developed the ability to control himself along with the desire to control others. Liam Turner was an out and out bully. He'd modeled himself on Christian and had set about getting to the twentieth floor however he could. A little flattery and pressure applied to the impressionable Megan, had given him access to Christian's office when it was empty and when Beth could be persuaded to deliver some files to another floor. He'd got the expensive suit, the tousled hair but where he failed was having an ego the size of Jupiter and no ability to control it. Firing him was a pleasure. Firing Megan was somewhat harder, because it left Christian himself in the shit.

He was two weeks away from the biggest deal of his career, the one that would take GEH truly global and what with this and his past - which refused to stay where he'd put it - the shit had well and truly hit the fan. Even Ana's pregnancy was a complicating factor. He really didn't want to leave her while she was feeling so sick. It looked like it was going to be Phoebe all over again.

Compared to Phoebe, the nausea and sickness she'd had with Teddy had been nothing. She'd barely kept anything down during the first trimester with Phoebe and Christian had been frantic with worry during those first few weeks. Not that Ana's sickness had affected Phoebe in any way, at all. Out she'd come; pink, healthy and weighing a pound and a half more than Teddy.

He raked in a breath. The world seemed a tough place today and he was still getting used to this feeling of being dependent on people, of having to trust them. Sometimes, that trust had surprised him. Andrea had gone from being someone he'd barely known, to a woman he could trust implicitly and who'd never let him down. Perversely, it was now he who feared that he'd be the one to let her down if she ever uncovered the truth about his past. If the truth came out, how would Andrea react? Would she lose respect for him? Would she quit? He couldn't bear that. He needed Andrea more than ever now to do her brilliant stuff and get him to Singapore with his sanity intact. A smile briefly flared on his face when he realized that for all his past, his life was now largely dependent on two key women. He needed Andrea here and he needed Ana everywhere else and the fact that they were both not entirely at fighting strength was making him feel vulnerable.

If Andrea was sat behind the desk out there and Ana was not feeling so sick, the minor irritation of Moore would not even be worrying him. But it was as if his right and left flanks had been taken out at exactly the wrong time, leaving him dangerously exposed to enemy attack.

When they were kids, his family and the Moore family had hung out a lot together. They'd been close and Christian could clearly remember Marnie. He was seven years older than her, but a rake-thin girl with more hair than any child should ever have, stood out. It was as if her body had concentrated on making hair and not growing any other part of her body. Her mass of red-brown curls gave her an almost comic-book appearance, as if someone had scribbled her hair on. She was also loud and nosey, the perfect temperament for a journalist. Kate too was nosey although Kate's nosiness was kept strictly off the radar. You never knew Katherine Kavanagh-Grey was after you until it was too late, as several recent new inmates of Washington State penitentiaries could attest. But Moore was Kate's colleague and because of that Kate too had been rendered inert and another piece of his armory had been taken out. If Kate stepped in to protect Christian, her employer might take that as obstructing another journalist's work, and fire her. With Kate out of the way, Marnie Moore would have an even clearer shot.

Christian didn't remember a lot of his childhood. For a very good reason he'd blanked a lot of it out. He wondered how much of her childhood Marnie remembered? Did she remember one late summer barbeque when she was eight and he was fifteen? It had been where Mia, a year older, had finally lost patience with the girl and pushed Marnie into the pool fully clothed. But that wasn't the thing that Christian remembered most about that barbeque. It had taken place about a month into his relationship with Elena and was the first social event they'd both been at. Awkward was not the word.

At fifteen he was still classed as one of the kids while Elliot, two years older was treated as one of the adults. But he hadn't felt like one of the kids, he'd fucked Elena enough times by then to know that.

Although she was across the yard with the other adults he could feel her eye on him all the time. It had been early days for him as her submissive and he still wasn't sure what he could and couldn't do, so he did nothing. He just stood there, drinking endless glasses of Coke. Everyone else interpreted it as Christian just being Christian – moody and miserable - and had ignored him as usual. He'd skulked away to a quiet corner, a corner Elena had confronted him in later. Even sitting quietly he'd done the wrong thing.

"Stand up." She'd snapped. He'd instantly complied. "How much of that stuff have you drunk?"

"Six glasses."

"No more. It's full of sugar and chemicals. Switch to water. Have you eaten something?"

"Uh… yeah."

"_Yes._ Speak properly. People will not take you seriously if you don't. Take a look at yourself in a mirror, fix your hair and socialize. I will deal with you if you don't."

It was the last thing he'd felt like doing, but he knew what punishment awaited him if he didn't comply.

"Yes, Mrs. Lincoln."

She'd run a finger down his arm and her touch had made unwelcome movements in his shorts. That he remembered with sickening clarity. Being caught at a family barbeque with a hard-on for your Mom's friend wasn't cool. She'd reached his hand and she'd taken hold of it, when out of the corner of his eye, he'd seen movement and turned his head to see Marnie starting at him.

"What are you doing?" She'd asked. She was all hair and precociousness in a pretty maroon dress.

"I'm talking to Christian," replied Elena.

"You're touching him."

"Yes, I am."

"Mrs. Grey says that you're not allowed to touch Christian, he doesn't like it." Marnie looked at him. "Why don't you like it?"

He'd shrugged. "Because I don't." His surly reply garnered a glare from Elena. Another lash would be added.

"So why is she touching you?"

"_Oh fuck off."_ Christian had said in his head. She would grow up into one nosey bitch.

They were saved by Barbara Moore encouraging everyone to get some food. Eating was obviously more exciting than wondering why Mrs. Lincoln was touching a boy who didn't like to be touched. Marnie Moore had scampered away.

Back in his office, as seemingly inconsequential as it was, Christian hoped that Marnie hadn't remembered that tiny incident. He had, because back then, the exciting new world of sex and Elena had made every moment sear itself onto his brain. If only he'd known where that would take him? Yes, into incredible success as an entrepreneur; but also into something he wasn't proud of. Into over a decade of being controlled by Elena, and then moving on to control other people. Finally, twelve years on from that barbeque he'd discovered that there was more to life than sex and control. There was out-of-control love.

He glanced up at the current picture of Ana on his wall, the sentinel that guarded his office and his life. It was pensive Ana. He didn't want her to be pensive. He got up and went over to the store cupboard and selected sexy Ana from the stock of pictures. All of the pictures were of sexy Ana, but this one was even sexier, just from the way she looked up at him from under her eyelashes. It had been a simple snap, but José had managed to capture her spirit in every pixel. These pictures were a few years old now, but he would never part with them. They were seven photographs of what it was that he'd fallen in love with. When it all fell apart, as it tended to do sometimes, she was the one constant. She was his absolute rock. She couldn't be everywhere all the time; but in his office when he was feeling in need of her, all he had to do was look up and she gave him sustenance in spirit before he could get home and claim it from her in person.

He dragged out a step ladder. This was the one job he did himself. Nobody changed the pictures but him. Another example of nobody touching Ana but him, just as nobody touched him but Ana. That wasn't strictly true these days as Ted and Phoebe could touch him, but his children were a different matter. And then there was Mia. She'd never given a fuck about his stupid no touching rule, although a sisterly swipe wasn't really a touch, not the way Ana could touch him. The thought of how Ana could touch him made very welcome movements in his pants and he smiled. Even in his darkest moments she could lift him out just by thinking about her. He hung sexy Ana on the wall and replaced the other picture and steps in the store cupboard.

He checked his watch, it was mid-afternoon in Seattle. It was nearly midnight in Britain, too late to call Matt and find out how the boatyard restorations were coming on and far too early in Uganda to call Alex and find out how things were going on the farming project in Gulu. The two people he knew who could give him some good news right now were asleep. Fucking time zones!

He looked up at Ana again. He wanted more than to look at her. He wondered if he could scoot downtown and just hang out in her office for the rest of the day. Nobody would know he was there. He could sit under her desk. A lascivious grin cracked his face as he thought about what he could do sitting under her desk while she took a meeting above it. How long could she maintain her composure if he pushed up her skirt, gently parted her legs and got to work? There was a knock on the door.

"Yes!"

Beth put her head hesitantly around it. "I'm sorry Mr. Grey, but I'm not sure what needs doing. Megan didn't leave a list."

He internally slumped as the opportunity of putting his head between Ana's thighs evaporated. He hoped Andrea called back soon. "I'll be right out." He said and Beth darted away. He looked up at Ana on the wall. "Give me strength?" He asked.

And just from her picture, she did.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**8.05am. Saturday, June 27****th**

Kate pulled up outside Ana and Christian's house. In the back of her car Ava was having a happy, but unintelligible conversation with her teddy bear. The sun was already high in the clear blue sky, heralding another scorching day. But it was Saturday and they were here for breakfast.

Ana had passed up the chance to go soaring with Christian, so Elliot had gone in her place. The boys would be back later, but that gave Ana and Kate some girl time and a chance to feed the children. The little ones weren't patient enough to wait until their daddies had finished riding thermals for the day.

She lifted Ava out of her seat and snuggled her daughter to her. She was as bright as a button, unlike Kate, who was feeling sleepy again after waking at four when Elliot had left to go to the airfield. There'd been quick sex, mostly driven by him as Kate's body hadn't entirely been awake at that hour. As she approached the front door it was pulled open by Ana, with Teddy at her side. He was holding out an airplane made from Lego.

"What have you got there?" She bent down and asked him, setting Ava down on her feet. The little girl wobbled a little before finding her feet. Kate grasped her hand.

"Plane." Teddy replied, with a surety that exceeded his years.

"Did you build it?"

He nodded.

"With daddies' help," said Ana, ruffling her son's hair.

Teddy nodded.

"It's beautiful," said Kate.

Teddy grinned and then holding the model high in the air he ran off into the house.

Kate looked up at Ana. She looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. "You don't look good at all. Should you even be out of bed?"

"I didn't sleep much last night." Ana pushed the door closed and held her hand to her forehead. "I can't eat much at the moment, either."

"And Christian's gone soaring with you this way?"

"I made him go. He needs something good to take his mind off the train wreck that was yesterday." They walked through into the kitchen diner. In her high chair Phoebe was chewing on a teething ring. Her face lit up when she saw her mommy and Ana went over to her.

"He told you what happened then?"

Ana lifted Phoebe out of her chair and snuggled her. She smirked. "About you guys showing up? Yes." She smiled.

Kate grinned. "Well, you know, when my husband shows up wanting hot sex, who am I to turn him down?"

"You don't need to explain. No, I mean the whole thing with Megan was unpleasant and made worse by Andrea."

Kate furrowed her brow. "How?"

"She didn't call him back yesterday afternoon. He called her cell, the apartment, left a message with Luke; even called Andrea's mother. But she didn't reply once. So he went round to their apartment last night and she wouldn't even see him face to face, she just yelled 'no' at him through the bathroom door."

"So she's taking seriously your advice not to return before September?"

"Obviously, but this is different. It's not that Megan can't cope, Megan isn't there anymore. He _needs_ Andrea and she flat refused him. She's never once let him down in all the time she's worked for him and when he needs her the most, she didn't even consider it. She just yelled at him. Christian's a little bewildered by it and even Luke was confused by her response."

"But you'd have thought he was the world's best boss when we had lunch."

"I know. She was desperate to return to work. I just wanted her to rest and take some time. But I never thought she'd refuse to help him out in a crisis."

"Perhaps she isn't as well as she made out? Emma's delivery was very quick and not in ideal circumstances. Perhaps she has a little PTSD?"

"Could be? Anyway, Luke said he'd talk to her and call Christian over the weekend." Ana suddenly put her hand to her mouth.

"Do you want to be sick?"

"It's just really intense nausea. There's nothing in me to be sick off."

Kate saw Ana visibly pale and quickly lifted Phoebe out of her arms. "Sit down," she commanded, placing Phoebe back in the high chair. Ana slumped into the closest chair and rested her head in her hands. Kate pulled out some toys for Ava, sat the little girl on the floor close by and then took a seat adjacent to Ana. "Why don't you go back to bed? I can cook breakfast."

Ana shook her head. "I can't sleep, there's too much on my mind. There's too much to worry about. I have my first company take-over going through, Christian's buying half of Southeast Asia, this Marnie woman feels like a malevolent shadow and now Andrea's thrown her own curve ball into the mix." She looked up at Kate. "And as if that wasn't enough to mess with your head, I have another one of Christian's former subs hanging around like the ghost of Christmas past." Ana gave a shrug. "It never rains but it pours."

"But you're friends with Susannah? They're not all going to be as much a fruit-loop as Leila."

Ana scoffed "I guess. But I know that Susie doesn't want Christian, she wants her own life and she's just having a little trouble finding what she wants in a man."

"She told me. We had lunch yesterday. Guess she wants what you have? Marriage with a side order of kink?"

Ana grinned. "Who says it's a side order."

"Mrs. Grey!" Kate laughed. "But seriously. How is it that you and Susie get on but you fear the rest of them?"

"Several reasons. Despite what you thought at first, Christian's very easy to fall in love with. He's also incredibly hard to forget. Susie told me how good he is at what he does, compared to others. So, there's always part of me that wonders if they're hoping that he wants a sub on the side. It's my constant 'am I enough for him' worry, playing out in a succession of nameless and faceless brunettes."

"Surely you don't think Christian would ever be unfaithful to you? I've seen the looks he gives you, he worships you."

"I'm certain he wouldn't. It's just that with this Moore woman on the loose, anything from the past is dangerous. She – I mean his former sub - went to Grey House and waited for him. Her name is now in their visitor's book. A pregnant woman waiting to see Christian Grey and saying it's personal? Like that's not going to set the alarm bells ringing. Especially now, with Baker being exposed as a serial philanderer."

"So why did she show up?"

"Well that's the thing. I don't really know. Christian asked me to ask Susie to go down to Grey House and meet her, which she did. Christian was a little vague about why this woman was there. I thought I'd get more from Susie, but she was vague too. She's usually so candid if I ask about the past."

"Do you know this woman's name?"

"Yes. Faye. She was his first. So, I now know the names of number one, number twelve and number fifteen. Lucky me!" Ana rolled her eyes.

"So you think they're not telling you something?"

Ana didn't reply, choosing instead to run her finger along the wood grain in the table.

"Ana?" Kate asked again. When Ana next looked up there were tears in her eyes. Kate scrabbled forward and held her friend as she cried.

Just then the front door opened and there was the sound of Christian and Elliot returning. In the hallway, Kate could hear the sound of a little boy's feet and Christian's exclaim as his son ran to meet him. Behind her, still grasping Ana, she heard an excited squeak from Ava which told her that Elliot was in the room.

"There's my little girl!" He called. Kate turned her head to see Elliott sweep their daughter up off the floor. He noticed them. "Hey, is everything alright?"

Ana sat back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yes, I'm fine." She said. Elliot looked unconvinced. Christian came into the room carrying Teddy and Kate saw the flash of alarm on his face. He quickly put Teddy down and knelt in front of him.

"I want to say good morning to Mommy, can you go sit with Auntie Kate for a moment?" Teddy nodded and Christian put him on Kate's lap, the little boy was still holding his Lego plane. Christian reached for Ana, pulled her out of the chair and smoothed her hair from her face before taking her in his arms. No words were spoken. Clearly Christian knew something of what was worrying Ana, or he didn't want to talk about it in front of Elliot.

To his credit, Elliot read the situation right. "Shall Kate and I make breakfast?" He asked.

Christian looked at him and nodded. "Thanks. We'll just step out for a moment." Christian guided Ana out onto the terrace.

When they'd gone, Elliot leaned in, kissed Kate on the mouth and his nephew on his hair. "Weight of the world, those two," he said softly. Kate nodded. "But there's something he's not telling me." Elliot grumbled.

"Ana's pregnant." Kate said softly, giving him some information, but not all of it. "She's having a tough time."

"That would explain the tears. Doesn't she want to be?"

"No, she's thrilled. She's just sick and tired of feeling sick and tired."

"That, I get." He bounced Ava on his arm. "That is definitely a down side to making one of you little guys." He said to Ava. She laughed and then went bright red. Elliot sniffed. "And that's another one."

Kate stood up and set Teddy down. He ran after his parents. "I'll change her. You go and start breakfast. Did you have a good time?"

"The best! It's just beautiful up there. I know now why Christian loves it so much. The freedom and the peace and quiet you get? All things not available to him on planet Earth. Not this week anyway. Did you hear about Andrea?"

"Yes."

"That's a really shitty thing to do to him."

"Elliot, she gave birth in minutes into Christian's hands. Who knows what mess that's made of her head? Speaking of mess." Kate pointed to the stove and took Ava from him. "You can manage that can't you? Ana's already made the batter."

Elliot looked at the jug of batter as if Kate had asked him to defuse a bomb. "I guess."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Pretend you're pouring concrete."

"They might turn out like concrete when I'm though."

Outside, on the terrace with Teddy rushing around their feet, Christian and Ana stood in silence. Ana had wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. Christian was stroking her hair with one hand and holding his BlackBerry in the other. He was reading his morning emails.

"Assholes." He grumbled under his breath.

"What's up?"

"The Kuala Lumpur office want to fucking re-negotiate their bit. At this late stage! What is this, fuck Christian Grey week?"

"Christian…"

"Sorry." He kissed her hair.

"I'd rather Teddy's vocabulary didn't have that word in it just yet. Because you know it'll come out in exactly the place you don't want it to. And can you save work until breakfast is over, please? I'd like to spend at least part of our day without the company of Southeast Asia. I'm beginning to wonder whether I shouldn't invite it over for dinner now that you've gotten in bed with it."

"And it's trying to fuck me." He murmured.

"Perhaps you should restrain it?" She murmured back.

He smiled. "Don't give me ideas. Speaking of restraints..."

"We have guests."

"They won't mind if I say you're a little tied up. I believe you'll find it excellent relief from worry and other pieces of crap."

"Is it good for morning sickness?"

"Probably not, although I believe my mouth made you feel a little better yesterday morning?"

Ana narrowed her eyes. "You mean right before you misjudged the time and left me hanging, because you had to get to Portland for nine?" She poked his chest. "You owe me an orgasm. So yes, I will take some of your mouth after Kate and Elliot have gone."

"Just my mouth?" He smirked and kissed her deeply.

"Daddy, it come-d off!" They looked down to see Teddy holding the broken bits of plane up to Christian.

"So, that'll be after Kate and Elliot have gone, after you've fixed the plane and after you've sorted out Kuala Lumpur." Ana looked at him sadly. "I'll take a ticket and wait. You fix the plane; I'll go help Elliot and Kate." She bent to kiss Teddy on the head and walked away.

"Ana?"

She turned back to him.

Christian was already on his knees with Teddy, the pieces of the broken plane on the floor in front of him. "No, we're doing it straight after breakfast. Kuala Lumpur can go…"

"Christian!" Ana pointed at Teddy.

"…fondle itself."

Ana smiled and blew him a kiss. He made to catch it and held it over his heart. Christian didn't see her face fall into a mask of despair as she turned away.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12  
8.30am. Monday, June 29****th**

Another night without much in the way of sleep and Ana was finding it hard to cope with Monday morning. As she sat in the kitchen sipping tea and catching up with the headlines on a news website, she could hear Astrid singing songs with Teddy. It had already gone nine thirty and she'd decided to take an extra hour in bed after Christian had left, but she was so tired that she'd overslept until well past eight. She felt better for some sleep, but she still wasn't coping well with food.

Christian had spent most of the weekend on the phone to his lawyers to thrash out the re-negotiation with Kuala Lumpur and he was facing another long day with it. His trip to Singapore to close the deal was now only a couple of weeks away and that would be enough for anyone to cope with, without all the rest of the crap hanging over his head. But he'd been true to his word that she was his first order of business after Kate and Elliot had left. Although leaving their nine month old and three year old sat in front of the TV while Ana and Christian quickly and silently fucked behind the sofa, probably wasn't in any parenting manuals. Ana had been praying that Teddy didn't think they were playing hide and seek and decide to investigate. The speed of it had taken her by surprise but it hadn't been because Christian was anxious to go off to do 'more important' things; there was just a very primal quality to it. He needed her, he wanted her and only a few thousand years of social etiquette had brought the sofa into the equation. If they'd been Mr. and Mrs. Early Human, the fact that their children were sculling around in the cave with them would have made absolutely no difference to where or when they had sex.

Ana was musing on the thought of Christian looking all wild and dressed only in an animal skin wrap, when Gail Taylor came into the kitchen with the morning mail.

"For you." She said, placing half a dozen letters on the table and she placed Christian's mail in the rack where he'd collect it from later. "I signed for the bottom one. It came registered mail."

Ana glanced through. She could already pick out that at least two of them were invitations and another two were bills; but she pulled out the large brown envelope on the bottom. The address was written in looping, but neat cursive, in a style which looked not altogether unfamiliar. But before she had time to open it Prescott appeared at her side.

"If we're to make your office in time for the meeting, we should leave shortly, ma'am." She said.

"Thank you. Just give me two minutes." Ana scooped her mail into her briefcase and headed into the living room to say goodbye to Ted and Phoebe.

Prescott drove into the city, while in the back of the car Ana checked through her schedule for the week. The late start wasn't her usual style she mostly headed in with Christian. But it hadn't meant that anything had to be rearranged and Hannah had guessed what was cooking anyway, once Ana had started looking a little green around the gills first thing in the morning.

She'd been back at work almost a month since getting caught in the blast in London and that time had been spent putting together her first take-over bid. Grey Publishing was taking over Perry Publishing; a small, independent company in Greenwich Village, New York, giving them access to some of the best new writers on the east coast. She was excited, not least because she'd resisted every offer of help from Christian until she and her team had put the deal together. Only then did she show it to him. She'd left him with it whilst she took a swim one Saturday morning. His reply was to frighten the life out of her, by popping up in the pool to kiss her and tell her how proud of her he was. The idiot was still fully clothed.

Christian's take-over of the Singapore-based holdings group Venture Sengkang was off the scale compared to what Ana was doing. But it was her first and even Christian Grey had started small. Venture Sengkang gave him control of companies throughout Asia, the Far East and Oceania and broadened his portfolio of interests to keep GEH insulated against a downturn in any one particular area. But it was a massive deal and would force Christian to restructure GEH to put in a whole new level of management. It was also the biggest he could take GEH in private ownership. Any bigger and he'd have to float the company on the Stock Exchange. It would in time mean moving from the current Grey House to something bigger, and he already had his new number two, Tom, scouting out a second building for them to use in the interim. It was the culmination of four years' work from the initial overtures to nailing down the deal - or so he'd thought. The Kuala Lumpur office deciding to take issue with some of it had given him a sleepless Saturday night.

Ana pulled out the brown envelope, worked it open and pulled out the contents. She looked at the top photograph and her world stopped dead. And then it rushed back in like a tsunami. Every sense she possessed moved to overload as her brain registered what she held. Masked or not she'd recognize Christian anywhere; but the woman, a predictable brunette, was not someone she knew. She had Christian fully in her mouth and the sight of someone other than herself doing that to her husband of very nearly four years made her feel sick to her core. She involuntarily heaved.

"Pull over!" She yelled to Prescott and Ana braced herself on the seat in front as the Audi came to a sudden stop and the vivid reminders of Christian's past slid from her lap into the foot well. She flung herself out of the car, down onto her knees and vomited her soul out onto the pavement. Prescott was instantly at her side as Ana threw up twice more before her stomach expelled its contents fully. Tears streaked her fresh make up and her nose started to run as sobs took over from her dry heaves. She remained there for several minutes as traffic sped past them. An eighteen wheeler blared its horn at them as it thundered by, shocking her still more. She felt as if she'd been hit by it and tried to find some shred of energy to get up. She found none that her muscles could call on.

Belinda returned with a first aid kit, knelt by her and handed Ana some wipes to freshen up with. She managed to kneel up and Ana dabbed at her mouth, streaking the white cloth with lipstick and foundation. Although the retching had subsided, silent tears still coursed down her face and an overwhelming numbness had taken up residence inside.

"I think we should return to the house," said Prescott.

Ana shook her head. "I have a meeting."

"Ma'am, you're not well."

"I'll be fine. I keep some make-up in my desk." Ana took several deep breaths, filling her lungs with the fumes from the thousands of tailpipes that had passed that spot this morning. Right now she didn't care what she was breathing in because she felt like her heart had been ripped out. Slowly, she pushed back and maneuvered herself to her feet, leaning on Belinda as she did so.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Belinda asked.

"Yes." She had to do something to expunge the image that had seared itself onto her visual cortex and continuing her day as normal was her best option. Belinda guided her back to the car. Ana slid gingerly back in and Prescott closed the door. Ana reached down and hurriedly gathered up the photographs, stuffing them back into her briefcase as Prescott pulled smoothly out into the traffic and resumed their journey.

Ana took a closer look at the envelope they'd been delivered in. It was addressed to Mrs. Grey, Gail had not handed it to her by accident. She looked at the sender's address in the top left hand corner. It had been sent from MXSport Gym and there were the initials D.K underneath the address stamp. Somebody there wanted her to see these photographs. But why? Did Marnie Moore now know about Christian's past? Was it someone who would follow it up with a demand for money? Or, was it someone who wanted her to know that her husband had a past that they thought she didn't know about? If it was, then how wrong they were.

She'd known right from the beginning about Christian's other women and she'd learned to live with it in an _'out of sight, out of mind'_ kind of way. After Christian had told her that Susannah had accompanied Mark Grainger to Elliot's party, Ana had asked Kate what she'd thought of her when they'd met. Kate had told her that she was a well-educated, professional woman; the kind of woman that they'd be friends with. She wasn't some deranged harpy or piece of trailer trash.

Ana had been intensely curious why an attorney would willingly place herself under the control of a man to be his submissive. Having gotten to know Susie a little, there wasn't a traumatic childhood or tales of being abused as a teenager to report; it was simply how Susie liked her sex. That's how it had started, anyhow. But Ana didn't need to be a genius to read between the lines and work out why she'd ended her time with Christian. She understood that incompatibility; she'd once thought it of herself. Ana didn't get any sense of Susie wanting Christian back, she was just at a crossroads in her life, wanting her own version of 'more' but not being able to give up what she enjoyed.

Ana wasn't unfamiliar with what these girls had done with him -the pair had worked out their own scenes incorporating a lot of it. But there was a hard limit between Christian and Ana and it was the point at which pleasure became punishment.

Most of the time it was a lot of sweet, lovely raspberry swirl - sex with a few extras - before work, after work and sometimes during work if they could sneak off to Escala for lunch. But right now Ana was having trouble recalling Christian being sweet and tender when the dominant one had burned himself visually onto her brain.

The envelope told her nothing else about the sender and so she hesitantly fished the pictures out of her bag again, carefully shielding them from Prescott in the front. She looked at the first one again. It was taken side on. Christian was bare-chested and in jeans. _Those jeans_. Her favorite jeans. Fly unbuttoned, pants hanging low, but still exposing very little of himself. She looked at the woman; she was bound by her wrists and ankles and kneeling at his feet. It wasn't a position she was unfamiliar with, but this was not her and despite knowing full well what was going on here and the reasons behind it, the photograph made her feel violated.

However much they'd talked about it over the years, because she'd never seen any of the girls 'in action' with him there was always a theoretical, almost mythological quality that she'd ascribed to it. Not knowing the specifics gave her sense of detachment and that had helped her to cope. But in seeing this picture it had ceased to be an abstract concept. It was as if she'd opened the door to their bedroom and found Christian in bed with another woman.

As Prescott neared Grey Publishing Ana tried to steel herself for her ten thirty meeting. Try as she might the image she'd seen would not leave her head. How should she deal with this? Should she tell Christian? He was up to his eyeballs in stuff for Singapore as well as dealing with that stupid reporter from the _Seattle Times _and an unscheduled staffing crisis.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't want to talk to him and that part of her was slumped in a corner crying 'enough.' She understood that she'd stopped rolling with the punches from his past life and that she was reeling from this one. Calmly she worked the pictures back into the envelope and stepped out of the car as Prescott held the door open for her.

"I'll be on hand should you need to go home."

"Thank you. I'll see how I feel," replied Ana, walking as if on autopilot into her building.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**11.55am. Monday, June 29****th**

"Thank you for stepping in," said Christian. "I appreciate it's been some time since you were here."

"I'll do my best, Mr. Grey and thank you for asking me. Where do you want me to start?

"With something familiar. Have H.R. finalized the personnel transfer files for Venture Sengkang?"

"We have. I'll get them right up."

Christian exhaled. "Finally, something's coming together."

"May I ask a question, Mr. Grey?"

"Go ahead."

"Is Andrea well enough for me to speak to? You know, to ask questions of?"

"She's just had a baby, Olivia; she's not critically ill."

"I know, but… For her not to step in, well…that's odd. I just wondered if she really was sick, rather than just on leave?"

"No, as far as I know she's fine, if a little moody," he added, perturbed by the memory of Andrea persistently yelling 'no' at him when he'd called at their apartment on Friday. "Being a new parent is hard. It feels like someone's dropped a bomb on your life. She might be a little tetchy, but that's understandable. At least the reason why she's not getting enough sleep is a better one than me calling at 3am, demanding she come into work."

Olivia paled. "Will you need me to do that?"

Christian wrinkled his nose. "Not on a regular basis, I value my bed too much these days. But I can't tell you how things are going to be in the next couple of weeks. I could need people to pull some all-nighters, depending how much gets done between now and Singapore."

"As I said, I'll do my best."

"I know you will. You've worked for me before and you know what I expect."

"Yes, Mr. Grey."

"Then let's get to it. Beth?"

"Yes sir?"

"You get through this, and at the end of your internship I will personally call the CEO of any company you want to work for and demand they give you a job."

"Thank you." Beth looked abashed.

"Any company you fancy working for?"

"Um…GEH?" Beth squeaked.

"Well, you're in luck. We're hiring."

"Big time, if my desk in H.R. is any reflection," commented Olivia.

Christian appraised Beth. "After Ros has left, Tom will need a P.A. Do you fancy taking a shot at it?"

Beth's eyes bugged. "Yes!" She said with a gasp. "But what about here? Andrea won't be back until September."

"Let's deal with that on the other side of Singapore. OK. Let's go. We have half the planet to buy up."

The phone rang. "Mr. Grey's office, Olivia Lucas speaking." Olivia listened, her eyes growing wide in alarm. "One moment please." She snapped the phone onto mute. "It's Astrid, your child-minder. Teddy's in the E.R." She held the phone out to him and un-muted the call. Christian grabbed it.

"Astrid, what happened?" He was instantly anxious and as he listened he ran his fingers through his hair. "And have you called Ana…? Oh." He sounded even more concerned and furrowed his brow. "Yes, call Prescott. I'll be down there as soon as I can." Christian reached over the desk, cancelled the call and dialed another number. "Dr. Trevelyan please? Tell her it's Christian." He waited for a moment; in front of him both women busied themselves with tasks. "Mom? Teddy's in the ER there, can you get down to see him? Astrid suspects a broken arm. I'm on my way now. Ana's not in the office and Astrid says her cell's diverted to Hannah. I don't know what's going on, so I'll call Hannah from the car and see if I can pick up Ana _en route_. We'll see you soon." Christian cancelled that call and dialed a third number. "Taylor? I need to go to the Children's Hospital, right now. I'll meet you out front." He handed the phone back to Olivia. "Take messages. Don't ask people to call my cell. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Is he alright?" Olivia asked.

"He will be."

Olivia dared to be bold and asked another question. "What happened?"

Christian gave a pained half-smile. "He jumped off a chair, pretending to fly." His shoulders sank. "My little boy and his obsession with flying." He made for the elevator. "You have the bridge, Number One." He called back.

Olivia blushed. "You remembered?"

Christian grinned. "You'd be surprised what I hear out here." He said with a smirk as the elevator doors closed.

Back behind the desk Olivia turned to Beth, grabbed the mouse mat and fanned herself with it. "Oh, he's still gorgeous after all these years. And he knows I'm a Star Trek fan? _Holy hell! _ Andrea can go fuck herself if she thinks she's getting this seat back. I am super-gluing my butt to it."

"She might not come back."

Olivia gave an indignant scoff. "Hell will freeze over before Andrea Parker quits this job."

"What, you mean she really does like working for him?"

"Don't you?"

"Not really."

"But you said you want to work for GEH?"

"I do. But not for him, he's… weird."

"What do you mean weird?"

Beth shrugged. "I don't know." She gave a little shudder. "Him and his wife, they're…too perfect, too brilliant, too rich, too… _everything!_ And they're so… _together_, constantly touching and kissing and… argh! It's…nauseating."

Olivia threw up her hands. "Hello? They're married, they're in love. They're _supposed_ to do that?"

"Yes, but they act like they just met."

Olivia sighed. "I was here the day they met, he was at his Iceman worst back then. I was doing your job with Andrea. He really didn't want to give the interview and he griped at her all morning. But from the moment Anastasia Steele left his office he was…different. He accompanied her to the elevator. I remember that so clearly because it wasn't something he did and then he was really quiet and preoccupied for several days after that. We barely saw him and he barely said anything. And then one day, a few weeks later, he told Andrea to get him another ticket for something and said that she was going with him. Andrea's chin nearly hit the desk. It was the first time he'd ever been to anything with anyone and she was stunned. He was a changed man from the moment he met her." Olivia laughed. "That's not to say he didn't get worse before he got better. With Miss Steele as she was then, she seemed to know how to press his buttons. He went ballistic down the phone to her, regularly."

"I hear you say that and I think that's wrong. He's a control freak. The level of oversight he wants on this Singapore deal is insane. He probably controls his wife, too. Bet he dictates what she has to wear each day."

Olivia didn't think much of this suggestion. "You don't know her if you think anyone can control Ana Grey. I think he fell for her precisely because she didn't take any of his crap. He's so different now to what he was. I wouldn't have dared ask him a personal question before. And the little quip to me? That's so special."

Beth stared at Olivia. "You're all deluded, every one of you. OK, so he's ethical in his business dealings and at best he's an amazing philanthropist. But I've seen him on his bad days. He can be a total asshole and because he's not butt ugly, you all let him get away with it. But Tom Clarke's a good guy."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" She grinned and Beth went a delicate shade of pink.

"Mr. Grey's not all that."

"To a lot of us, he is."

"There'll be something in the woodshed. There always is."

Olivia looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Dream on." 


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14  
11.59am. Monday, June 29****th**

Belinda Prescott ended the call and started to walk over to Ana, who was sat on a bench in the quiet park. Having finished her meeting, Mrs. Grey had asked for some time to herself and Belinda was happy to oblige. She wasn't blind; she'd seen what had been scattered in the rear passenger foot well this morning. Belinda knew all about the room at Escala and the arrangements Christian Grey had had prior to Ana's appearance in his life. Jason had filled her in. She knew that Ana knew about it, but that still didn't escape the shock if you came face to face with your husband's past in such a graphic way. Ana had asked not to be disturbed, but this she would want to know.

"Mrs. Grey? Teddy's been taken to the ER with a suspected broken arm."

Ana jumped up, alarmed. "Does Christian know?"

"Yes. He's on his way down there now. He was going to stop by and pick you up, but I said I'd take you there myself."

"Thank you." Ana started to walk with Prescott towards the car and then stopped, turning to face Belinda. "No, really, thank you." She added. "Right now, I don't know what to say to him."

"This is about Teddy. He's your only concern at the moment. I don't want to speak out of turn, but you should give those photographs to me and let us investigate it. We could do it without Mr. Grey knowing."

They walked back to the car.

"I don't want to drag you into it," said Ana. "

"But you have other things to concern yourself with."

They walked on in silence for a moment. "I'll think about," Ana added.

They were a good distance from the hospital and traffic was heavy, but finally, Ana swept into the ER and was directed to where Teddy was, but she didn't make it. As she ran down a corridor she was suddenly grabbed and pulled into an alcove.

"Where the _fuck_ have you been?!" Christian was furious. It shocked her and with the emotions the pictures had thrown up, it caught her off-guard and threw her back to a time when she felt intimidated by him.

"I didn't feel so good. I was getting some air."

"Do you know what I've had to listen to?" He hissed, not seeming to register her reply. "I've had to be in a room with a little boy calling for his mommy, and mommy not coming. Do you understand which part of me that cuts open?" His voice was menacing, unkind even.

"I'm sorry! Prescott drove as fast as she could."

"What the _fuck_ were you doing on the other side of the city?"

Ana rallied. "As I said, I was taking time out. I threw up on the way in this morning." Her hackles rose. If his past hadn't gate-crashed her day she could've been here much earlier. "Anyway, I'm here now." She stepped away to walk on down to the treatment room but Christian grabbed her elbow and pulled her back.

"No. Mom's with him."

"But he's calling for me."

"He's fine."

Ana noticed a look in his eye. There was something he wasn't telling her. "Where's Astrid?"

"I've sent her home with Phoebe. I'll take Teddy home when he's done."

Ana furrowed her brow. "_You'll _take Teddy home? What about _us _doing that?" Ana began to smell something fishy, as if Christian was stalling for time. She squared up to him. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said quickly. Too quickly.

"Christian?"

"Leave it."

"I'm going to see Teddy."

"No!"

"No? You're stopping me from seeing our son. Why?"

"I'm not. Mom's with him. He's fine. They're just putting the plaster on. He'll be out in a moment."

"He's not fine, he's broken his arm!" She took another step away, but Christian grabbed her again. This time she yanked his hand off her and stared straight into his angry grey eyes. "What are you not telling me?" She levied and bolted out of the alcove to see Grace walking down the corridor hand in hand with Teddy, who was sporting a lime-green plaster cast on his lower left arm.

Ted saw her and lifted his injured arm, his lower lip wobbling as his face crumpled in tears. Ana rushed to him and almost skidded on her knees as she dropped to the floor in front of him and folded him into her arms. "Oh Teddy!" She held him tightly. Behind her she heard Christian's shoes on the polished tile.

"He was so brave, mommy," said Grace. Ana didn't move, crushing her little boy to her as if he was a life raft. She held him a little too tightly for his comfort and he started to wriggle free. Ana let go, taking his face in her hands and smoothing his curly, dark copper hair. He looked so much like Christian.

"I'm sorry mommy was late." She said. "Shall we take you home, now?"

Teddy nodded. "I jumped really high." He said, as if in mitigation for his landing not being so great.

"I'm sure you did."

"Can I get McDonald's?" Teddy asked.

Beside her Grace groaned. "Sorry, that was Dr. Collins' suggestion."

Ana looked up at Grace.

"You know, a treat?" Grace's expression said that she didn't think McDonalds to be any sort of treat.

"I could make you a burger at home, sweetheart. One of Mrs. Taylor's really nice home-made ones." Ana said to her son.

"I want McDonald's." Teddy replied peevishly.

Ana smiled. "We should ask Daddy, see what he thinks. I think he might like one of Mrs. Taylor's burgers, too." This answer didn't go down well with her son.

"McDonalds." Teddy griped again, drooping his shoulders in a whole body pout.

Christian knelt down beside Ana. "Hey, we can do McDonald's another time. How 'bout we go home and all have lunch together. We can have a little carpet picnic. You like those."

"I want to go to McDonald's!" Teddy stamped his foot at Christian.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a problem."

Ana looked up at the woman who'd spoken. She was a Doctor, in a pristine white coat and with her folded stethoscope poking out of the top of her pocket. Ana read her badge. Jessica Collins MD.

Christian instantly got to his feet and Grace stared at him. Ana understood that Grace was expecting him to make an introduction but nothing came.

Grace huffed impatiently. "Jessica, this is my daughter-in-law, Ana." She said.

Something about Dr. Collins immediately struck Ana and it made her slowly get to her feet and take Teddy by his uninjured hand. It was something born of long brunette hair and palpable hostility radiating from the man beside her.

"It's Dr. Collins' first week with us here in Seattle," continued Grace." She just moved from Olympia. I've taken her under my wing." Grace placed her hand on Dr Collins' back.

Jessica Collins smiled at Ana and then glanced to Christian with a look didn't meet his eye. That clinched it. This was why he didn't want her in the treatment room. She was another one! Her husband's past wasn't so much coming out of the woodwork as pouring out of it!

Ana felt light-headed and as this latest punch hit her, she reeled again. Her wobble cause an instant reaction in Christian who wrapped his arm around her. But it wasn't the comfort that it usually was and at that moment his touch felt unwelcome. It was possessive, territory-marking; defensive even.

Life was serving her some un-returnable aces today. The photographs and not being there when her son was calling for her? Those cut deep enough, but him being treated by one of daddy's former submissives? Ana was confident that somewhere the devil was laughing at her.

"You forgot to pick up your copy of the report." Dr. Collins handed a folded piece of paper to Christian.

He snatched it out of her hand. "Thank you."

"Christian. I know you're anxious about Teddy, but you could at least remember your manners," chided Grace.

"Sorry, my apologies. Thank you, Dr. Collins." He placed it in his inside jacket pocket and reached down to pick Teddy up. "Let's get you home so you can show everyone your plaster."

"McDonald's!" Teddy said imperiously.

Christian ruffled his hair. "We'll see."

"Thanks Jessica. I'll catch up with you later," said Grace.

Dr. Collins smiled pleasantly at Ana before she turned and walked away down the corridor.

Grace peeled off at the elevators, leaving Ana and Christian holding Teddy to walk out into the parking lot. From the trunk Taylor had already gotten the car seat out and fixed it into place. Christian strapped the little boy in and shut the door. "We'll take my car." He snapped. "Get in."

Ana glared at him. "Don't you take this out on me!"

"Take what out on you?"

"You know damn well what!" And he did, she saw it.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I didn't know she'd transferred."

"And your Mom's taken her under her wing. Great!" Ana threw up her hands. "Guess who'll be coming to dinner."

"Look, I'm having a hard time dealing with…"

"_You're_ having a hard time?!" Ana's voice screeched up an octave.

"Will you be _quiet!_" Christian was instantly furious again.

"Quiet? You mean like your past, which seems to have picked a fine time to fall out of the closet!"

Christian grabbed her by the arm and forcibly pulled her away from the car where Teddy was. "Ana, so help me!" He fumed.

"What, Christian? Looking for somebody to beat the crap out of in punishment for your past choices?" Her words left Christian looking like he'd been slapped across the face and Ana knew that although she was hurting, she'd gone too far. "I'm sorry." She said quickly and went to touch him but he shrugged away. "Christian, I'm sorry!"

He looked at her, his face anguished. "As if I don't have enough to cope with right now, you too Anastasia?"

"I'm sorry. It was a shock. I said the wrong thing."

"Damn right you did! But yes, for the record, I do want to beat the crap out of someone. I still feel like this, even after all these years and that's just adding to the shit in my head right now!" Christian pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well go beat the crap out of the punch bag in the gym, don't take it out on me!"

"Were the fuck were you?! Why did you divert your phone?"

"I told you where I was. I was taking time out. Unlike you I react by thinking, not beating the crap out of someone! Look, I'm sorry you're stressed about the deal. I'm sorry Megan was on drugs and fucking her boyfriend in your bathroom. I'm sorry I made Andrea not come back until September. I'm sorry Teddy broke his arm and I'm sorry for being pregnant and throwing up on the interstate this morning! We're married and your shit is just as much my shit too, Christian, so excuse me for needing a fucking moment to myself! I'll see you at the house. I'll ride with Prescott." Ana stalked off, leaving Christian in the full glare of the burning sun.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: **_Thank you for all your reviews and comments so far, I'm loving reading them. Sorry if I'm shredding your nerves but we have some more of it to come. I'm about half way through the story so from here-on things will start to play out and you'll start to get some answers._

_Please keep faith with me. If you've read my other stories Light and Shade / Scarlet and Grey / Walking Away, you'll know that I love to write some humour. But for the moment we're in a dark place and as our beloved Mr. Grey might say... 'Trust me.'_

_I will try and post updates once a day, but on the feedback from my Beta-reader I'm taking the opportunity to improve it in some areas, so I'll post as soon as I've edited._

_Rachel x_

* * *

**Chapter 15  
1.45pm. Monday, June 29****th**

Ana made it home first and went upstairs to their bedroom. She walked to the picture window and sank onto the love seat, wishing she'd never gotten out of bed this morning. Despite his sleepless Sunday night they'd spent a little time in each other's arms before he'd had to get up this morning. That seemed eons ago now; before her life was torpedoed by photographs, little boys with broken arms and another sub turning up as a Doctor. Was no part of her life safe from Christian's past? Would she always have to carry it around with her like some battleship anchor, weighing her down?

It was just over a month until their fourth wedding anniversary. The fourth anniversary of their meeting had been marked by her getting caught in a bomb blast in London and this felt as if she'd been blown apart on the inside, constantly walking through a minefield. That at any moment she could stand on something that would explode another piece of Christian's past into her life. Elena Lincoln, Leila Williams, then Susannah Moss – although Susie was unexpectedly lovely, she didn't object to her. Last week it had been Faye turning up at Grey House. Today, two more mines had gone off, the unnamed woman in the six photographs and now she had another name to add to the roll call: Jessica Collins, a doctor in the ER at the Children's Hospital. She fervently prayed that her children wouldn't need the services there too often.

Right now it was hard to think about the good things they had together when so much of her vision was clouded by the specter of the past. Elena never really went away; she was background radiation, subtly poisoning the air with her existence. Ana had heard on the society grapevine that she was looking to expand her business into Canada. She couldn't help but wish that Elena would discover many lovely things about Vancouver and fuck off there.

A noise alerted her to someone else in the room. It was Christian, loitering in the doorway.

"May I come in?" He asked gently.

Ana nodded. He walked over to her and sank to the floor, his back to the window. He crossed his legs revealing bare feet under his suit pants. His jacket and tie were off and the first two buttons of his shirt were open. He looked disheveled and rested his elbows on his knees.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I would never beat the shit out of you. I may think it, I may say it, but I would never, ever act on it. Please believe me."

Ana didn't reply and Christian looked for reassurance that she believed him.

"Ana?" He got to his knees and knelt in front of her. "She caught me off guard. She was the last person I was expecting to see when I went into the treatment room. I didn't know she worked there."

Ana met his gaze but said nothing.

"I didn't want to see her. I didn't want her to treat Ted. But she was already dealing with him and Mom was there. What reason could I give if I'd asked for a different doctor?" He went to place his hand on her thigh, but she brushed it away.

"Please don't touch me."

"Ana, no. Don't do this." He placed his hand back on her thigh again. This time she allowed it. "I'm sorry for forgetting how rough things can be in early pregnancy. If you were feeling so bad why didn't you turn around and come home this morning?"

"I had a meeting and I don't like letting people down. Especially, when they've come from San Francisco."

Christian moved his hand further up her thigh. Ana placed hers over his to still it.

"No." She said. She knew what he was angling for. He may not take a cane to her, but there were other ways he could mete out his anger. "I'm really not up to a punishment fuck."

"How about being loved? I'm sorry. I just want to make it up to you." He placed his other hand on her other thigh and knelt up to kiss her.

Ana went to veer away but Christian's hands were quicker, taking her face between them and kissing her. Ana pulled back, his touch felt too much right now.

Christian was confused. "I'm trying to say sorry."

"Not now." Ana stood up, sending him sprawling back on the bedroom carpet. "I need to go see Ted." She walked away. Christian scrambled to his feet and went after her.

"What's the matter? Why won't you accept my apology?"

"I do accept your apology. I just don't want to have sex right now – which is what you're after. We fight and you want to fuck, as sure as night follows day."

"I need to know that you still love me."

"I do love you Christian, but sometimes I get mad at you. That's what happens in marriages, sometimes you get mad with your husband. It doesn't mean you're calling lawyers the next morning. I'm just angry because there's a lot of crap in my head right now. I'll calm down – eventually - but just give me time, OK? Just because I don't want to make love doesn't mean I don't love you. It means that too much is going on in my mind for me to be able to give myself to you, right now."

"I told you not to worry about it." He growled.

"I can't _help_ but worry about it!" Ana snapped. "It's what I signed up for."

"You make it sound like being married to me is an assignment."

Ana shook her head. "You're not an assignment," she said sadly. "You're wonderful and I love you. It's all the shit that comes with you that I'm having difficulty with. I'm trying hard not to let it overwhelm me."

Christian reached out and ran his finger over her bottom lip. At his touch her lips parted and he gently pushed his finger into her mouth, moving over the point where her lips became moist and resting the tip of his finger on her bottom teeth. "That's all the more reason why you should let me make love to you."

Ana pulled his finger from her mouth and kissed the fleshy pad of it. "And I will, but not now. I need space, Christian. I also need to go cook something for Teddy, to make up for us being heartless parents and denying him McDonald's."

Christian pulled her to him and bent to kiss her neck. "Let Astrid do it." He murmured. "Come to bed. Let me hold you, at least."

"You're holding me now."

He kissed up the side of her neck and then brought his face up so that the tip of his nose touched hers. "Stress isn't good for pregnant women and I have a remedy for that. Your skin next to my skin and I think you know how good my mouth is at making you feel relaxed."

"Christian, no," groaned Ana.

"And your mouth is so good at making me feel relaxed…" The image of his sub with her mouth full of him sprang into her mind and catapulted Ana away.

"No!" She cried and fled, rushing along the landing and down the stairs. Her speed made her misjudge her step and she slipped and slid down a dozen stairs, sprawling on the floor at the bottom.

"Fuck, Ana!" Christian yelled and ran down after her.

"I'm fine, I just slipped!"

He tried to pick her up.

"No, don't!" She scrabbled away, getting to her feet. "Leave me alone. _Please!_ I need some space. This is too much."

"And it's not for me? I need you!"

"I can't do it, Christian. Not right now." She turned away from him and walked stiffly into the kitchen.

He followed her. "_Why_ won't you let me touch you?" His tone was soft, the Christian she loved and needed very much.

She looked at him, her head a swirling mass of confusion and pain. All she wanted was him. Just him. He could be the most penniless bum on the sidewalk and she'd still love him.

She took a step towards him and he held out his hand to her.

"We'll talk about her," said Christian.

"I don't want to talk about her." Who was she referring to, the sub in the E.R. or the other one in the image in her head? She didn't entirely know.

"OK." He reached out a little more to her but she didn't respond. "Ana?" She looked at him. His eyes were sad and that was her undoing. She went to him, burrowing her face in his shirt, inhaling him, touching him, feeling his arms pull her to him. Safe, secure, anchored, needed and loved.

He lifted her chin and gently planted a hesitant kiss on her lips. "You need to go and get checked out." He whispered.

"I will. I'll call Dr Greene's office and make an appointment."

"Good. You want me to come with you?"

"I don't want to take you way from anything important."

He narrowed his eyes at her." "What could be more important than my wife and children?" He whispered, touching her lips with his fingers and then bending to kiss her once again. He pulled back a little and appraised her. "But there's something else, isn't there? I can feel it."

She stared into his beautiful grey eyes, allowing herself to open up to him. This was going to be a hard conversation to have and she knew that on the other side of it Thermonuclear Fifty would be back and this time armed with multiple warheads.

"This morning I got an…"

"McDonald's!" Teddy suddenly yelled, leaning on Christian's legs and flinging his un-plastered arm around them.

Christian gave an irritated growl. "I'll buy fucking McDonald's and put them out of business!" he muttered. She had to smile. Coming from her husband that might be no idle threat.

She bent down to Teddy. "I have something better. One McGrey's coming right up!"

"No! _McDonald's!_" Teddy screeched and lashed out, giving Ana a resounding smack across the face. She overbalanced on her stiletto heels and fell sideways onto the floor.

"OK. Time for a father and son talk." Christian helped Ana to her feet and then scooped the kicking and screaming Teddy up, put him over his shoulder and strode from the kitchen.

Ana straighten her clothes, fluffed out her hair and placed a hand on her smarting cheek. For a three year old Teddy could pack a punch. It remained to be seen how much of a tantrum his father had when Ana managed to tell him what had arrived in the mail this morning and who he would lash out at in the wake of that. A shudder and a wave of nausea went through her as another one of the photographs came to mind. Six photographs, that were as painful to endure as the six strikes of the belt that he'd given her in the Red Room of Pain, all that time ago and all those miles away. Today, she felt like the Red Room of Pain was right here... inside her heart.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16  
2.00pm, Friday, July 3****rd****. **

Kate got back from lunch and sank into her chair. As she did so a large glass of ice-filled water appeared in front of her.

"You look like you need this more than I do." Scott McDowell, one of the _Times_' photographers perched on the end of her desk.

"Thank you." She took a sip and closed her eyes as she felt the iced water go down into her stomach.

"Tough day?"

"It wouldn't be so tough if it wasn't such a battle to keep cool. Can't they fix the air con in here?"

"It's been fixed," said Scott. "This is as good as it gets."

Kate slumped and then was suddenly aware of the elevated energy in the room. She looked around at her colleagues. Even in this stifling heat there were faces with the tell-tale brightness of an adrenaline rush about them. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Marnie got Grainger."

"What's she got on him?"

"Tax fraud, insider-dealing, other men's wives and a kinky lawyer. The mother lode of gossip journalism."

"A kinky lawyer?" Kate didn't need the iced water now, her blood had run cold.

"A woman at Lane, Neill and O'Driscoll. I don't know the details."

"Who did you hear it from?" Kate sat up.

"Fritz." She sent him to get photos."

"Not you?"

"I couldn't get there." Scott narrowed his eyes at Kate. "Look, just a word of advice," he said quietly. "The blood just drained out of your face and since Marnie pitched up, you've looked permanently worried. If I were a journalist and not just a photographer, I'd think there was something about Christian Grey that you were afraid of people finding out."

"It's not that." Kate countered. "I think I know the kinky lawyer."

"Interesting," Scott quirked up an eyebrow. "Your thing too is it?"

"No!"

"Just asking."

"And I hope you're not going to make any smart-ass comment about her. What she does is her own business."

"I agree. But what Grainger does, isn't."

"Why not?"

"Because we confer on him some implied sense of authority, even though strictly speaking he has none. As a business leader we hold him to higher standards. We expect that he'll be above the failings we see in ourselves. And when we discover those same failings, or suspect that his dick makes the decisions, we'll pick over him like a hyena. But that will be tame compared to what Christian Grey will be in for if we discover that he's anything less than perfect. And it'll be worse for you, because you placed him on the pedestal for everyone to admire. _'Look at my gorgeous brother-in-law'_ your article implies. '_Isn't he wonderful? Isn't his family so wholesomely fantastic? Isn't it cute that I sent my room-mate to interview him and she came back with his wedding ring on her finger?'"_

"Christian is a genuinely nice guy, I was only writing the truth."

"I'm not saying it isn't the truth. But no one writes an article like that without the rest of us cynically wondering what it's a smokescreen for. He can't be _'all that'_. He has to have some flaws or he's not real. I hear he's a control freak."

"Oh, he is."

"So why didn't you mention that?"

Kate shrugged. "Because, that's not what's interesting about him. What he does in Uganda, Darfur and the Middle East, and why he does it, is."

"Oh yeah, the starving little orphans? Tug at the heart strings of every mother in Seattle, why don't you."

Kate glared at him. "Go interview Dr. Grace Trevelyan down at the Children's Hospital. Speak to her about what it's like to come face-to-face with starving orphans. At least Christian is trying to do something about it!" Kate got up and grabbed her purse.

"Hey, hey." Scott held up his hands to placate her. "I'm just saying what it looks like. Better it comes from me than from some trash like _Seattle Nooz."_

"Christian's an amazing guy. I just wanted people to know that. He does so much good and no one ever hears about it."

"So there are no kinky lawyers in his life?"

"No. Not unless Carrick's got a secret that we _really_ don't want to know."

"And you're not fucking Christian?"

"No, I fucking well am not!" Kate was livid.

"Kate, you know I don't mean any harm. I just want you to know what people are thinking and warn you that Moore's going to stop at nothing." Scott glanced around. Kate followed his eye, he was checking that Marnie wasn't at her desk. "The way she talks about Grey," he said quietly. "It's as if it's personal, as if getting at the others is just a ruse because the real prize is Grey. Do you know if they've ever had a thing?"

Kate gave a snort of a laugh. "Are you serious?"

"I don't know. It's just she has the look of a spurned lover about her. Wondered if she was a ghost from his past?"

Kate took a sip of water and grinned. "I'm pretty confident he's never dated her."

"You know all his girlfriends?"

"Pretty much. It's hardly a long list."

"Wow. He kept those quiet. Anyone we know?"

"What? Is my middle name Indiscreet? You think I'd tell you?"

They both laughed.

"But seriously, Kate," Scott leveled. "He needs to be the real deal. Because if he isn't, Marnie is going to drop him from the top of his skyscraper."

Kate fixed him with solid eye contact. "He's the real deal."

"Then he has nothing to fear and you need to lighten up."

Kate exhaled, her head was thumping. She stood up and pushed her chair under her desk. "I'm going down to the Axiom. Martin Rafferty said he'd give me a half hour."

"Rafferty? The up and coming member of the Big Six? Lucky you." Scott rolled his eyes.

"I know. Have you met him?"

"No."

"I did, at our family's charity gala a couple of weeks ago. Well, I say I met him. I stood there while he talked. And talked. And talked."

"Are you going to ask him about his increasingly close, personal friendship with Sylvie Vincenzi?"

"Damn right I am. If I can get a word in."

Kate exited the newsroom and walked a couple of blocks before darting into a store to escape the heat.

The heat had been relentless for weeks now and so was the pressure that Kate could feel racking up. There was nothing she could do but maintain confidence in Christian. Scott was right, if she gave anyone even one iota's worth of suspicion that he wasn't purer than pure, that would raise supicions. She was beginning to regret ever writing that article. Christian had warned her not to, but she hadn't listened to him, as usual.

Right now, she wanted a little reassurance of her own. She called Elliot and he answered promptly.

"Hey babe."

"Hi."

"You OK?"

"Hot."

"I know you are. But are you OK?" She could hear the grin in his voice.

"Yeah. Just on my way down to the Axiom to interview Martin Rafferty."

"Are you? Wow. I'm looking at some details of offices to rent there. You wouldn't mind stopping by and checking them out, would you? Do a first pass for me?"

"Sure. What are the details?

"It's floors 10 through 15."

"Sandwiched between Rafferty and Sylvie Vincenzi? An interesting place to be, if the rumors are true."

"What rumors?"

"I forgot you don't do the gossip sites."

"Nope. So will you stop by?"

"Yes. What are you looking for?" Elliot gave Kate his shopping list and she headed down to the Axiom.

Kate knew that Christian didn't think much of Rafferty. He was a man who wanted to be up there with the big guys, but failed to realize that you had to be more than just talk. Still, with Kate by Christian's side listening carefully to his Irish blarney at the fundraiser, he'd nicely incriminated himself over Sylvie. Kate hoped the offices would be what Elliot wanted as she found the idea of her husband being so close to both Rafferty and Vincenzi intriguing.

To her untrained eyes the offices were a definite possibility. Big open-plan spaces that Elliot could partition off as he required and a fabulous, freshly-remodeled executive bathroom, which put even Christian's to shame. There was lots of room in there for lunchtime 'meetings', and the building was only a short distance from _The Times_. Kate liked it, but would Elliot? She'd send him down to check it out himself.

Nearly an hour later, when Martin Rafferty had finally decided to shut up, Kate wearily pressed the call button on the elevator and waited as one descended. The doors opened to reveal Christian, deep in thought and looking glum. She got in, but he didn't register the familiar person. He was miles away.

"Hello." She said.

He looked up, startled. And for a split second she caught the sight of unguarded pain in his eyes.

"Hi." He said and kissed her on her cheek, but there was none of his usual happy banter.

"You OK?"

"Yes."

"Been to see Sylvie?"

"Yes."

Kate gestured for him to continue. "And?"

"Um… Going through the plans for the Seattle Business Network launch."

"Oh." He lapsed back into silence. "Not chatty today are we?"

He sighed. "Sorry, lot on my mind. Singapore. You know?"

He was lying. There was a lack of eye contact and his body language was defensive. Singapore her ass. When had Christian Grey been worried about a business deal?

"How's Ana?"

"OK."

Again, silence when she usually got everything, down to what Ana had eaten for breakfast.

"And the children?"

"Good. Oh…um…no. Ted broke his arm."

"What? I didn't know! What happened? And when did it happen?"

"Monday. He was trying to fly."

"You must've been so worried."

"Yes."

"Too worried to call and let us know?" She griped.

"Sorry. I'm up to my neck."

"Ana too? Christian?"

He finally looked her in the eye.

"You can cut the crap about this being about Singapore. What's going on?"

His shoulders fell. "Everything."

"Got time for an iced tea?"

He checked his watch. "Yes, a little." He sounded defeated.

She took him to a little place that she knew and he chose a table right in the corner while she bought drinks. She noticed that he looked leaner than usual. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, his cheekbones looked more prominent and he didn't look well. He was hunched over his BlackBerry the whole time and when she arrived with the drinks she found him repeatedly typing and then deleting a text message to Ana. He didn't register her return, or her placing the tea in front of him.

Kate sat down. "Your tea," she said.

"Hmm?"

"Your tea." She pointed.

"Oh. Thanks." He took a sip.

"We're looking forward to tomorrow. Elliot's bought the world's worst swim shorts."

There was no reaction from Christian.

"You still OK for us to come over?"

"Hmm?"

"July 4th. Tomorrow? Barbeque at yours? Ana invited us."

"Sure. Come over."

Kate grinned. "Earth to Christian?"

He gave a small smile. Elliot was right. The weight of the world was on his shoulders. Kate could see it.

"How's Ana after Teddy's tumble?"

He shrugged.

"Is everything OK between you two?"

He exhaled and gave a brief, pained smile. "Guess so."

"I know about the baby." She said as quietly as she could.

"We're in for another rough ride."

"And it couldn't have come at a worse time?"

"Got it."

Kate reached across, placed her hand briefly on Christian's and squeezed it. "But the end result will be fabulous, yes? It's only a few weeks of the tough stuff."

"I hope so. But it's coinciding with perhaps the most stressful few weeks of my career. But there's other stuff going on and she's been distant all week. We had a fight on Monday and again last night. I don't like it when we do that."

"Oh Christian, you know her emotions will be on a roller coaster. But Ana loves you. I know that."

"I'm finding it hard to see it. Life feels like it's been out to get ever since you wrote that damned article." Christian leaned closer to Kate. "It's as if the world wants people to know that I'm not the nice guy you made me out to be. And you know that I'm not. Why did you do that?"

"You _are_ a nice guy. You adore Ana and your children and you're the most ethical businessman I know. Well, apart from Elliot." She smiled. "You support a great swathe of causes and you put your money where your mouth is when it comes to funding the less glamorous stuff."

"Yes, but…"

"No buts, Christian."

He shook his head. "You don't get it do you? If they find out, every word, every syllable you wrote will be picked over like the tissue of lies it is. Moore's dating Wayne Lincoln. That alone is bad news for me and you know why."

"Sure." Kate took a sip of her tea. "And I have a little more bad news to add to your pot of misery this afternoon. I think she's discovered that Susannah likes it kinky."

"_What?!"_ Christian's eyes nearly shot out of his head. "How?"

I don't know, but they've linked her to Mark Grainger."

"Oh shit." Christian said under his breath.

"Will that cause problems for you?" Kate whispered.

"Shouldn't do. But she'll find herself in a lonely place if that gets out. Possibly, out of a job."

"It doesn't involve the company."

"No, but it's about reputations. Knowing those assholes, they'll be finding creative ways to dismiss her. I don't think Robert Lane even knows what sex is. Even if they don't fire her, she'll find that people treat her differently and she'll probably end up having to leave."

"All the more reason why we should stay friends with her."

"We?"

"She's a friend of yours, isn't she?"

"Not really. She's a friend of Ana's. To me she's just an acquaintance."

Kate's eyebrow arched at that. Sometimes Christian's partitioning of his life didn't make sense to her.

Christian saw her query and gave a shrug. "It's the way it is."

Kate shook her head. Who was this lame-assed person sitting in front of her? He bore no relation to her brother-in-law. "So is this all about Ana? You're walking around like a condemned man because you two had a fight?"

"She's my world, Kate. She's my rock. I need her. But she's pulling away." He twirled his wedding ring.

"She's not pulling away!" Kate hissed. "At best she's hormonal. Give her some time, pregnancy sends your body haywire. Jesus, Christian. For a smart guy you have a short memory! Just think back to how dire things were in Phoebe's first few weeks."

"This feels different. This feels like she's lost confidence in me and is waiting for everybody else to find out."

"With a face like that you're not inspiring much confidence in me, right now. You need to summon the Master of the Universe out of retirement."

Christian scoffed. "You make it sound so easy. Just flick a switch inside myself and I'm him again."

"You did it at Elliot's party."

"That was a specific thing."

"Well this is a specific thing."

Christian shook his head. "I've changed too much for that to operate effectively anymore. If I put my defenses up now people will think I'm running scared. There's nothing for it. I'll just have to ride out the shit-storm and salvage what I can after it's passed."

Kate rolled her eyes. "That's being a little melodramatic, don't you think? You sound like the worst has already happened."

"I feel like the worst has already happened."

"Well for God's sake make Ana your priority. If you need her so much then work out what's getting to her. Come on Christian! Time was when you could wind that girl around your little finger. Why are you acting so defeated and spineless now?"

"I'm not spineless!" He glowered.

"That's what it looks like to me. You'll be a sitting duck of a target if you don't toughen up! _Listen to me!"_ Kate said to herself. _"I'm giving Christian Grey advice. Whatever next?"_ He still didn't rally.

Kate wondered if the news about Susannah had added a whole new layer of problems. She leant forward on the table. "If Moore goes digging through Susannah's life," she said quietly. "Will she find things at the Devil's Kitchen that could lead to you?"

Christian was instantly alert. "How do you know about that place?" He snapped. Their faces were only inches apart.

"I asked Susannah. I've been wanting to know more about… your past." Kate reddened.

"_Don't!"_ He said through gritted teeth. "Stay away from there and don't go digging." There was barely controlled fury in his voice.

"Why?"

"Leave it."

"_Why?"_ She repeated with more vehemence.

"I said leave it!"

"You're asking the wrong person."

He balled his fists and held them to the side of his head. "Why does no one fucking listen to me anymore!" His eyes bored into her with steel grey fury. "For the love of God, Kate. _Leave it!_" Christian was breathing heavily. She knew it was time to give a little.

"OK," she capitulated. But she'd go anyway.

Christian rested his elbows on the table and supported his head by pushing his fingers into his eyebrows. Then he looked up at Kate. "Why can't I do this? I feel like Samson. Like I've been stripped of some vital component that makes me strong."

"All because you and Ana had a fight?"

"Yes." He said quietly. "Like she took something away from me."

"Christian, she loves you. You were all over each other in the restaurant last Thursday."

"That feels like eons ago. What scares me to death is that if it all comes out then she might not stick around. And who could blame her? She'll be trying to run a business while the entire city speculates about what she may or may not have known about my past. Or the suggestion that she may have been abused by me, so why did she stick it out for so long and remain silent?"

Kate was incredulous. "Christian, would you listen to yourself? Abuse? What are you talking about?"

"It's all abuse now. It's immaterial to people whether it's consensual. I won't be a man with singular tastes; I'll be labeled as a systematic abuser of women. It's well known that I'm a control freak, so of course I must've forced Ana to marry me. That can be the only explanation of why we were married only weeks after meeting."

"Look, I know I didn't understand things when I discovered that piece of paper, but not once has Ana ever said that she's felt mistreated. Just the opposite. She tells me time and time again how thoughtful, loving, attentive and generous you are. Ana's not the sort of person who flicks a switch and it's over."

Christian dropped his hands back to the table and grasped the sides of it.

Kate placed a hand over his. "All this is, is worry, compounded by her body going haywire because she's pregnant. But she would _never_ give up on you. She would _never_ lose confidence in you."

"Really? Then how can you explain why she doesn't come near me. We start off in bed together, but when I wake in the early hours she isn't there. She's asleep in one of the other bedrooms. It's been the same every night this week."

"It's just temporary. Everything is so stressful right now. She's bound to be struggling a little and she has her own deal to close."

"I know. But I can't shake the feeling that she's pulling away." He suddenly shook his head as if to clear it, grabbed his briefcase and stood up. "I'll see you." He turned to go.

"Christian?" Kate got up and followed him. He turned back. "Please don't torture yourself over this. The sky is not falling. I'll speak to Ana. It's a holiday weekend and everybody's going to be grateful for some down time."

"Stay out of it, Kate," he said kindly. "This is our thing to sort out. I'll see you tomorrow. Come over any time after noon." With that Christian swept from the café and out into the street.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**12.45pm. Saturday July 4th**

Andrea grabbed a sun lounger on the far side of the pool. It was deep in shade and she fussed with Emma, making sure the little baby was cool and comfortable. The folding doors on the pool block had been pushed open on three sides, letting in what little breeze there was. The relentless sun showed no sign of releasing the city from its grip but nobody was going to complain this weekend. Luke was over the other side talking to Taylor and Gail, which was good because Luke wasn't really talking to Andrea. Not since they'd been up half the night arguing because Andrea hadn't wanted to come here and she wouldn't explain why.

He knew her parents had divorced when she was eight years old, but Andrea had never told Luke the reason why. She'd never told him that she'd spent six months in a safe house on Mercer Island, after her Mom grabbed her from her bed one night and made a moonlight flit across the city to safety and a new life. Andrea had also never told him the truth about the white circular marks on her breasts, passing them off as scars from infected insect bites. They were the legacy of her father's abuse and she'd been the one that had gotten off lightly. Her Mom's body was covered in the same white marks.

Their lives had started again that night and Andrea wanted to leave anything before Mercer Island firmly locked in the past. Seeing the photograph in Mr. Grey's desk had brought sickening feelings to the surface and had thrown the last six years' of her life into turmoil. She realized now that she'd spent most of that time idolizing a man who was not who she thought he was. It had been her own fault for putting him on a pedestal, but she'd had no reason to doubt him before. Now he'd shown his true colors and Andrea was only here today because she couldn't manufacture a good enough reason to stay home. He knew she wasn't ill and if she was he'd have gotten her to a doctor so there was no point pretending. She could cite every excuse in the book, but Luke wasn't having it. As far as he was concerned, he was thankful to the Greys that he still had a job, even though he couldn't function at the level he could before.

Andrea was increasingly irritated by Luke disappearing off to Escala for hours on end and being annoyingly clam-like when it came to saying what he was doing there. 'Security updates' was the only thing he'd say when pressed. Surely Taylor and Prescott could manage that between them? Mr. and Mrs. Grey hardly kept them rushed off their feet.

At breakfast, Andrea had finally relented and come anyway. Last year's July 4th party had been an amazingly chilled day; back when she hadn't been pregnant and had spent most of the time ogling her half-naked boss. Now she had a baby girl to care for and she wanted to stay as far away from Christian Grey as it was possible to get.

Did anyone else know his vile little secret? His Mom came out of the changing rooms, wearing a black one-piece with a red sarong wrapped around her waist. Grace selected a lounger and dropped her bag by it, immediately spying Andrea and making a beeline for her.

"Oh my, isn't she growing fast?" Grace was her usual enthusiastic self, and Andrea was helpless to resist handing Emma to her. Grace cooed over Emma as if she were her own grand-daughter. She sat down on the lounger and fixed Andrea with a look that said she wasn't to mess with her. "And how are you?" She asked.

"I'm good." She said.

Grace did not look entirely convinced. "How's motherhood?"

"Hard."

"Harder than working for Christian?"

"Same calls in the middle of the night, yes." Andrea managed a lame joke.

"He's really looking forward to having you back. Shame you couldn't step in when he had to fire Megan."

"I'm just not ready to go back."

"Oh I wasn't suggesting you should. It's just a little parental anxiety. Singapore's a big deal and I know he misses you."

Andrea gave a weak smile.

"But back in September, yes?"

"That's the plan." She said. Right now wasn't the time to get into this. Handing her notice in could wait until after he'd returned from Singapore.

"Well she looks good and healthy." Grace said, returning Emma to Andrea's arms. "Not long now until Mia and Ethan's baby arrives."

"When's it due?"

"Mid-July. Mia's being annoyingly vague on dates. I think it's to keep me from worrying. Like I won't do that anyway." She laughed. "If you want a dip in the pool let me know and I'll come babysit."

"Thanks."

Grace went back to her own sun lounger as Carrick appeared, swiftly followed by Ethan and an enormously pregnant Mia, who was dressed in a floor-length shimmering blue sundress. Mia chose a lounger close to her Mom. Kate emerged, bending down to hold Ava's hand as she toddled beside her. Grace held out her arms to the little girl and it wasn't long before Dr. Trevelyan had gotten her second cuddle of the day.

Luke came over with an ice-filled glass of mango juice for her. He sat down on the other side of Emma. "You should see the food Gail's prepared. It's going to be a great party and Prescott's here," he said quietly. "With a guy." He raised an eyebrow.

"Surprised?" Andrea smirked.

"Yes. I wouldn't date her; she scares the shit out of me."

Andrea smiled and laughed.

Luke reached over and pulled her closer to him, the pair of them making a canopy over Emma who was lying between them. "I love it when you smile. I haven't seen it for what feels like the longest time. We're OK aren't we?"

"Sure."

"But you haven't been very happy the last few days."

"It's not because of you. It's some stuff I need to work through."

Luke ran his finger down her throat and then leaned in a little more to kiss her. "Why didn't you want to come today?" He asked.

"You didn't want to come, why?"

Christian's voice startled her. His naked chest startled her even more and she only just managed not to shout an expletive at the sight of it. But right now his grey eyes were fixed on hers and she couldn't drag her eyes away.

"I'm… feeling a little delicate." She fudged, hoping he'd believe her.

"Well, help yourself to a bedroom if you want to sleep for a while." He gestured towards the door into the rest of the house. Then he noticed Emma. He bent down between them and cooed over the little girl in much the same way as his mother had done. His shoulder was level with Andrea's nose and if she leant forward a little she could kiss it. But reality hit back as what she knew about the real him expunged any desire to kiss him. Suddenly her blood seem to be pounding loudly in her head and the next moment she was coming round to her name being called and Dr. Trevelyan peering over her with concern. She felt hot and sweaty."

"A cool shower and some sleep." She prescribed.

Luke helped her up from the sun lounger and Andrea took a few steps towards the door and then turned around in a panic. "Emma?" She looked frantically for her daughter and found her in Christian's arms. She bolted for him.

"It's OK, I'll look after her."

"No! Give her to me!" Andrea yanked Emma away from him and the sudden movement made the baby cry. She glared at him. "Leave her alone!" She shouted and hurried away from him into the house.

Luke followed her.

"I knew I shouldn't have come!" She said under her breath. She held Emma tightly as she ran through the downstairs of the house and out into the main hallway where the staircase curved up to the second floor. She took the stairs at a run, Luke behind her. Andrea reached the landing and ran on, taking a door on the left and shouldering it open.

Luke followed her in. "What the hell was that all about?" He shouted. Andrea stared at him. "Why is Christian holding Emma a problem? What do you think he's going to do, eat her?" She didn't reply. "Sit down before you pass out again. Give Emma to me."

Andrea didn't hesitate, feeling better once their precious daughter was in more stable hands than hers.

Luke gently patted Emma's back trying to soothe her. "Will you _please_ tell me what the problem is?" He said gently.

"I… don't feel great." Andrea didn't know what to say. She felt idiotic. Now Mr. Grey would know she had a problem with him and he had the tenacity of the Spanish Inquisition when he wanted information out of people. "I should get some sleep." She added. "I'm over-tired and perhaps a little over-emotional."

"I'll say. Is this postpartum psychosis?"

"I'm not psychotic!"

"You just ripped Emma out of Christian's hands and yelled at him to stay away from her. That's not like you at all, Andrea. I'm getting you to a Doctor after the weekend."

"I am _not psychotic!_" She shouted. Emma cried louder.

"You're not giving me much reassurance about that!"

There was a knock at the door and Dr. Trevelyan came into the room. "Can I help?"

"I'm fine!" Andrea asserted.

"You are _not _fine!" griped Luke.

"I _am!_" She yelled. A movement outside the door alerted her to Christian's presence. Anger raged within her and Andrea drew in a deep breath to steel herself. "I'd like to be alone for a while, please," she said with difficulty. Luke and Grace left the room but before they closed the door, Christian caught her eye. He looked sad. Did he know that she knew about the photograph? Was he ashamed of it? Did he want to apologize or explain to her? She batted the thought away. She didn't want to hear any explanation for him hitting his wife. There was no way on God's earth that he could justify that to her.

In the silence of the room she sank onto the bed not knowing what to do. She'd wrestled with it so much over the last few days. Should she talk to Ana? Should she tell Christian what she knew? Should she call Penny and ask for advice?

She knew where it started. The little swat, the little swipe that gradually escalated to become something darker and uglier with the potential to kill. She didn't really need any more advice, she'd lived through it. Ana Grey needed to see her husband for what he was and get away from him, fast! She could take her to the house on Mercer Island. Penny always had room for one more.

Andrea lay back on the bed. It was a beautiful room. The whole house was beautiful and until only a few days ago, the people who lived here had been beautiful, too. Now Christian had become the personification of an Ogre – and not a cuddly one like Shrek - while Ana had become a victim to be rescued.

She couldn't believe that she'd sat in the back of his car in London and burbled on to him in such a gauche way when all the time he was hiding such an evil secret. And what about his sister-in-law writing that article? Did she know? Surely not. Kate Kavanagh-Grey would never condone a woman being beaten. She'd written articles on domestic violence. Well perhaps she'd better look closer to home for her next piece!

Andrea slept fitfully and when she woke she was momentarily confused by where she was. She rolled over on the bed and on the table beside her was a large glass of juice. But it wasn't the smell of the juice that alarmed her; it was the familiar scent of Christian. He must have left it and been in here while she was asleep. Where that might once have thrilled her, it now turned her stomach to the point that as much as she wanted to drink the juice, she'd have no luck hanging on to it.

She got up walked to the door and opened it. Peering left and right the hallway was empty and she stepped out. From outside came the sound of laughter and she recognized Elliot's booming tones. Instead of turning right, back to the stairs, she turned left and took the opportunity to investigate the rest of the rooms on this floor. She looked in the children's bedrooms. Teddy's ceiling played host to twelve model airplanes and helicopters. Phoebe's room was a sweet coral color and made Andrea a little envious that her daughter wouldn't have a bedroom that was nearly as big as their living room. She walked on to the end, pushing the door open on what could only be Christian and Ana's room. It was breath-taking – and that was just the view from the picture window. It looked out over the meadow to Puget Sound and to the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula beyond. The view was the main feature and the rest of the room didn't try to compete with it. It was decked out in pale wood furniture, with a plain quilt on the bed and decorated and accessorized in neutral tones. It was just a regular bedroom – if almost the size of her entire apartment. What had she been expecting; a torture chamber? A cane propped up by the bed?

Ana slept on the left of the bed, there were a pile of books next to it and a picture of Christian, Teddy and Phoebe. On the far side Christian had an alarm clock, a charging dock for his BlackBerry and a black and white picture of Ana, her hair all tousled. Walking a little closer to it Andrea noticed that Ana was biting her lip, a smile playing on her face as if this was some private joke. It was a simple picture, but at the same time, it had a depth and an intimacy about it. It was an image you could only get if the subject was totally at ease with the photographer. Had Christian taken this or had it been that other guy, Rodriguez, who'd taken the pictures of Ana which hung in Christian's office? This little black and white was in the same style as those. Perhaps it was an outtake?

From downstairs she could hear the excited shrieks of Teddy as someone chased after him. She took a last long look at the stunning view out the window. Watching the sunset from here must be amazing, no wonder there was a love seat in front of it. She sighed at its beauty and turned away, coming face to face with a shirtless Christian. Andrea gasped and jumped back in shock.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped. "I was just curious." She babbled, rooted to the spot. Emotions churned within her, a heady mix of fear, guilt, anger and pure lust, as her eyes homed in on the hint of the 'v' that pointed all the way down to… _oh stop it Andrea! _ She admonished herself.

"It's OK." Christian said calmly. "I came to see if you were awake. Food's ready. Coming down?"

"Uh… yeah." She closed her eyes and tried to shake the image of shirtless Christian that now filled her mind. The image morphed into a Christian who was lashing out at Ana and then at her. Andrea brought her hand to her head, screwing her eyes up tighter to make the horrible image go away. She winced in pain.

"Andrea? Are you OK?"

She opened her eyes for a moment and he was right in front of her. "Aargh!" She cried, recoiled and stumbled backwards, crashing to the floor and catching her elbow on the foot of the bed as she fell. "Ow!" She yelled, grasping her hurting elbow and rolling over, right into Christian who'd knelt down beside her. "Get away from me!" She shrieked and scrabbled backwards, smacking her head into the bed frame and blacking out.

Something cool on the back of her head brought her round and her opened eyes were met by those of Grace Trevelyan. Beside her was Luke, not exactly looking like a ray of sunshine.

"Welcome back." Grace said cheerfully. "You're having an eventful day and you're going to have one hell of a headache Miss Parker."

_Going to?_ "I already have." She said weakly. Her elbow hurt too, but she couldn't explain that one for a moment, until the sequence of events replayed itself and the head pain intensified with anguish. She glanced at Luke. His face was dark. How could she explain what this was, without revealing a past that she didn't want to tell him? She turned away and found an unthreatening piece of wall to look at.

"Let me check your pupils." Said Grace and shone a pen torch into each eye. She seemed satisfied. "Blood pressure." She put on and inflated a cuff around Andrea's arm. "Hmm." she said. "Low." She eyed Andrea. "Rest, eat well and get to the Doctor's office as soon as you can. That needs checking out."

Andrea nodded. Luke looked a little more reassured that his girlfriend wasn't losing it.

There was a squeak from the hinge of the door behind her.

"How is she?" Asked Ana.

"Back with us," replied Grace.

"What happened?"

"Christian was coming up to tell her that the food was ready. As she came out of the room, she fainted and smacked her head on the balustrade as she fell.

He'd lied to his Mom? Well, Andrea had been in his bedroom. That probably wasn't something he wanted to mention and neither did she. Always the gentleman, he'd told a lie to save her from embarrassment.

It still didn't make up for him beating his wife.

Andrea walked back downstairs with Luke and into the gathering of people. Luke went to retrieve Emma and Andrea approached the barbeque hesitantly. Not because she wasn't hungry, but because Christian was dishing it out. She took a plate and half filled it with salad as she waited in line behind the tallest guy she'd ever seen. He had to be six feet six at least. She'd noticed him earlier with Belinda Prescott. She shuffled closer. Over in the shade Luke was talking to Jason and Gail. Elliot and Kate were talking to Tom Clarke and his girlfriend and Carrick and Grace were sat with Teddy. Sat apart from all of them was Ana. She was on her own, sitting cross legged on a shady bit of grass feeding Phoebe who was sat in front of her. Whatever it was, Phoebe was enjoying it, but even hidden behind enormous sunglasses, it struck Andrea that Ana looked sad. She'd never seen her look like that before.

Belinda and her guy cleared the barbeque and suddenly it was just her and Christian.

"Chicken, or ribs?" He said.

"Chicken, please."

"Feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you." Part of her wanted to laugh. He was wearing swim shorts, flip flops and an apron. Not exactly the look she'd usually find on the billionaire owner of Grey Enterprises Holdings. But Andrea was short on laughs today and held her plate out as he placed the chicken on it.

"Do you want a rib, there are plenty?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you." She started to turn away.

"Are things OK?"

She turned back.

"I mean, with me?" He added. "Have I done something to upset you?"

"No."

"Is it the rocking horse? I'll change it. I'll get Emma something smaller."

"No, no, it's fine. Really, it's great." She was babbling again.

"So I haven't done anything to offend you?"

"No." She couldn't meet his eye.

"Andrea, have I ever told you how crap you are at lying?"

She was instantly scarlet.

"Will you _please_ tell me what it is?" His tone was weary, as if it was something that he'd said once too often.

"It's not you, it's me," she blurted out. She didn't know what to say and this was damn sure not the place to try and do it.

He scoffed. "Are you breaking up with me?"

She knew it was intended as a joke, but she couldn't laugh.

"Please, Andrea. There's enough shit in my life right now. Don't lie to me. If you have a problem, tell me and we'll sort it. Is it money? Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Is it Emma? Are you still dealing with trauma from the birth?"

"A little, yes." Well that was true. There weren't many days she could get through without flashbacks to that London hotel room.

"See any Doctor you want and send me the bill."

"I have a Doctor. You already pay her bills."

"Good. Is it my appalling taste in swim shorts?" He pulled aside the apron and gave her a flash of what could best be described as a psychedelic headache.

She couldn't help a little bubble of a laugh escape from her mouth. He was so hard to stay mad at and up until just a few days ago he'd walked on water as far as she was concerned.

"I was trying to outdo Elliot, but he has a secret supply of truly grotesque shorts. Ava's puked on him and I still don't think he's noticed."

Andrea bit her lip to stop a smile. It was hard to separate Mr. Sexy-in-Swim-Shorts (whatever the hideous color) with Mr. Beats-his-Wife. He wasn't a nice man and she needed to remember that. She turned to go.

"Andrea?" He called. She stopped but didn't turn back. "You're coming back, yes?"

"I don't know." She managed to get out, before hurrying away.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**12.45pm. Tuesday, July 7th**

She knew he was here. The entire ambience of Grey Publishing changed the second Christian entered the building. Claire didn't need to page and tell her that her husband was here, Ana could sense him much as she could an oncoming storm. Well, he could huff and puff and storm about as much as he wanted, but he wasn't laying this one at her door. Her trip had been on the calendar for an entire month and it wasn't her fault that he'd forgotten. Her office door nearly exploded off its hinges.

"You're going to New York?!" He bellowed. Thermonuclear Fifty was back. But shouting was not Christian's usual style. He was the master of the quiet, menacing tone that left you in no doubt that you'd angered him, regardless of whether you worked for or slept with him.

"Yes." Ana replied calmly, ignoring his outburst. "This meeting has been scheduled for a month. You knew when the deal was going through, I told you." Outside her office her staff were keeping their heads down and getting on with their work.

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, Christian, I did."

"When?" He challenged.

She walked to the door. "Hannah, could you call up the email you sent to my husband's office, to confirm the New York trip, please?" She held her hand out to one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk . "Take a seat. Hannah won't be a moment."

Christian ignored her and continued to pace around the office, his hands jammed in his pants pocket. He was in dark blue today. His neat suit was in marked contrast to his wild hair, which was even more all over the place than usual. It needed a cut but she was finding excuses to avoid him. And that was the real reason he was pissed at her. Not because she was going to New York, but because they weren't having sex. Her achiness, moodiness and constant low-level nausea was working in her favor, because right now she couldn't make love to Christian when the image of him and that other woman would not leave her head.

Hannah got up from her desk and walked to the threshold of Ana's office. "I sent the appointment to Megan at three twenty on June 3rd and Megan confirmed six minutes later."

"Thank you Hannah." Ana smiled at her P.A. "Close the door please."

Hannah shut the door quietly and Ana went and sat on the edge of her desk facing Christian. He was still pacing like a caged lion. She knew they had to talk, but this side of Singapore and this side of her own deal in New York she couldn't give what needed to be said head room. But she could at least soothe him.

"I'm sorry that you forgot that I was going to New York." She said gently. "I know you've been incredibly busy getting ready for Singapore."

Christian didn't reply.

"Do you want go get some lunch?" She could do that, at least.

"I thought you weren't eating anything." He snapped.

Ana's desire to roll her eyes was overwhelming, but for the sake of his twitchy palms and his uncertain temper she resisted the urge to do it. "It's not that I'm intentionally not eating, I just don't feel like it right now. But I'm pretty sure I could pick at a salad."

"So little. At a time when you should be eating the most."

"Christian, we've been through this before. This is how I was with Phoebe, remember? I was worse, in fact. I'll eat what I can, when I can. The baby won't starve, there's enough fat on my butt to keep it going for several weeks."

Christian's head was bowed in an uncharacteristically dejected way. She'd never seen him looking so defeated. Where was his usual bomb-proof self-confidence? She put her head on one side. "Are you OK?" She asked.

He looked up and stared straight at her with grey eyes that usually had her melting into his arms. "No. I'm not." He said simply.

Her heart went out to him and in her mind she saw herself get up, go over to him and kiss him; knowing that within seconds they'd be on the floor losing their pain and hurt in one another. But that image of him and that woman was poisoning her mind and stopping her from doing what she knew was the right thing to do.

"Why is it all going wrong?" He asked.

"It's not all going wrong."

"You, me, Andrea, Megan, Marnie. I feel like the wrath of God has been unleashed on me. And now there's this thing with Kate."

"Excuse me? What thing with Kate?"

"You've not seen your staff looking at you oddly this morning?"

"No, I've been in here, preparing my stuff for New York. I'm leaving in ninety minutes. What thing with Kate?"

Christian sighed, walked around Ana's desk, sat down in her chair and pulled the computer keyboard to him. "_Seattle Nooz_ has an exclusive." Ana went to stand beside him. He pulled up the page and waved his hand at the screen with a flourish. "Your husband is having an affair with his sister-in-law." He vacated the chair. But Ana stayed exactly where she stood. She looked at the picture of Christian and Kate in a coffee shop. Kate's hand was resting on Christian's. He looked as equally miserable there as he did right now.

"According to the great relationship counselors on the internet, if I tell you there's categorically nothing going on, it's a sure sign that something is. So I don't know what to say; other than I met Kate in the elevator of the Axiom on Friday, and she made me go for iced tea with her because I looked as miserable as fuck. With the article she wrote, nobody's going to believe there isn't something going on between us."

"I know she met you. She told me. Has Elliot seen this?"

"I don't know. I haven't called him. I'm trying to pretend that I haven't seen it. But there's not much chance of that." He mumbled. Ana knew exactly how he felt.

"Who told you about it?"

"Olivia. It came up on a Google search result earlier this morning."

"She Googles you?"

"Yes. But usually she gets business reports."

It seemed wrong to even ask. After all, they'd been literally joined at the hip until the morning the envelope of photographs had landed on the breakfast table. But somehow it seemed a baseline truth that she needed to establish.

"Are you having an affair with Kate?"

"No. Do you think Elliot would let me live if I was?"

"No. I think he'd beat the shit out of you. And so would your mother."

There was a knock on the door and Hannah came in. "Sorry to interrupt, but Dr. Trevelyan is waiting for you on line two. She says it's urgent."

"Thanks, Hannah." Ana picked up the handset and pressed line two. "Grace?"

"Is he with you?" Grace shrieked with no preamble whatsoever.

"Christian? Yes he is."

"Could I speak to him, please?"

Ana pressed the mute button, walked around the desk and handed Christian the receiver. "The Wrath of God on line two, for you." Christian took the handset. "I know there's nothing going on with Kate, but pictures are very powerful things and they can do a lot of damage. Talk to your Mom, scrape her off the ceiling. I'll get you some iced coffee."

Christian put the handset down on the desk and made a grab for Ana, folding her into his arms and burying his face in her hair. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they stood there silently for a moment. Whatever was going on she did love him, body and soul and above the mess that was besetting them, that was the core truth of their relationship that she needed to cling to.

When Ana returned to the office she noticed the surreptitious glances of the staff in her direction. Apparently she was the last one to know about the photograph on _Seattle Nooz_. With Christian arriving here and yelling at her, the pair of them weren't doing anything to quash rumors that the Greys' marriage might be on the rocks.

Ana was no idiot. She knew that photos of Christian and her attending events from now on would be labeled as - them 'putting on a show of solidarity' before the 'inevitable' announcement that they were divorcing. It was all crap, but she knew how the media operated. She knew how they liked to spin a story and in the wake of Kate's article on Christian they must have thought Christmas had come early. One of her staff approached.

"Mrs. Grey?"

"Yes, Dominic?"

"I have a friend at _Seattle Nooz. _She says that Katherine Kavanagh-Grey's down there right now and there's already one broken window. I take it it's not true?"

"You're damn right it's not true!" replied Ana, with a force that felt as if someone had suddenly unleashed a beast within her. "Kate and Christian know each other well and you know that Christian's brother and I went to lunch together only recently."

"They were planning Mr. Grey's birthday party." Hannah chimed in. "How did that go by the way? I forgot to ask."

Ana thought back to the night of Christian's thirty-second birthday. Not the family party the night before the charity fundraiser, but the _after party_ – just her, Christian, a few accessories and some creative lovemaking. "It was _magical_." She admitted, trying very hard not to smirk. Oh fuck, the things he could do!

"Did he like the surprise?"

Ana was thinking of a completely different surprise she'd arranged without Hannah's help, when she replied with a private smile. "Yes. He was very… touched."

Hannah placed her hand on her chest. "Oh, I'm so glad he loved it. He's a really nice man…" She looked at Ana's office door which was still closed. "Apart from…just now."

"He's under a lot of stress," said Ana. "We both are," she admitted, quietly. She wished they were both the other side of this damned Singapore deal. It would be one less piece of stress in a summer that was sautéing them both over a high heat.

She let her mind drift back to that night of his birthday. A night when she and Christian had been totally together and it was hard to tell where one of them ended and the other began. She had long trusted him, but she'd finally persuaded him to trust her. He'd let her blindfold him and really experience how she could touch him. Considering where he'd started out from four years' ago, it was a milestone. She dwelt on that, focusing hard to make the remembrance of him coming apart under her the image that filled her mind and it worked. She felt the familiar, delicious pull deep inside and a longing that she knew only one man could satisfy. They could work this through, they could sort this out, they were in love and they were above all this shit. She would fight for him and her family whatever decided to rear its – or her – ugly head and together they would be fucking invincible!

"I'll need a cape." She snickered.

If only she wasn't about to go to New York.

"Bollocks!" She muttered. Perhaps it was finally time to have sex on her desk? Not something she was entirely comfortable with, but given the way she was feeling right now it might be a case of needs must.

From her office, a visibly chastened Christian skulked round the door, pulled it shut behind him and leaned back. She hurried over and handed him the iced coffee.

"You look like she spat you out."

He turned his head. "Is my ear bleeding?"

"No. But it's red." She gently rubbed his earlobe. It was hot. Hers were warm too. Most of the city must be talking about them.

"She's ordering us away on vacation after I close this deal. Says she'll put us on the damn plane herself if we don't go."

"A vacation would be good. Somewhere cool?"

"I'm thinking Antarctica."

"Good choice. What did she say?"

He took a sip of the iced coffee. "That if I even think about straying that she'll suture me to you."

Ana laughed at her mother-in-law's brilliance.

"She noticed we weren't speaking much on Saturday." He continued.

"She's always observant."

"She's calling Kate too."

"According to Dominic," Ana glanced in his direction. "She's down at _Seattle Nooz_ destroying the place."

"Good. I might take Taylor down there and join her."

Ana shook her head. "You don't need stupid distractions right now. Unless…" A thought occurred to her.

"What?"

She dropped her voice. "I have an hour left. We can be at Escala in five."

Christian's eyes widened. "Are you OK?"

"Never better." She fixed her eyes on his and deliberately bit her lip.

"Lunch?" He asked, in a louder voice.

"Sounds good to me," said Ana. "Hannah, I'll be back in an hour."

"OK! I'll have everything ready."

Five minutes later the Audi swept into the underground car park at Escala. Taylor opened Ana's door to let her out and Christian got out the other side. As she stepped from the vehicle, a red Audi A3 parked in one of their bays made her stop dead.

"What's that?" She asked.

Taylor turned around. Obviously the sight of a red A3 parked there didn't stick out to him like it did to her. _"Oh fuck!"_ She heard him mutter.

Christian appeared at her side and wound his arm around her waist, gently pulling her towards the elevator, but she remained stock still, staring at the red car.

"Ana?" He asked.

"Mr. Grey, it would appear Sawyer has a visitor." Taylor said, placing his phone to his ear.

"What?" Said Christian and then as Taylor moved to the side he caught sight of the car. "Oh _fuck!" _He moved in front of Ana, blocking her sight of the car. "I'm sorry. I can explain."

Ana was numb, but her curiosity was still functioning. "Who is it?"

"It's Faye." Christian replied. "She's working with Sawyer to clear up an issue."

"Something to do with why she came to see you?" Ana said, in a clipped tone.

Christian sucked air through his teeth. "Yes."

"OK." Ana's reply was barely audible.

"Look, we can go somewhere else. Luigi will fit us in."

Ana was momentarily taken aback that Christian had forgotten that they'd come here to have sex, not to eat. If she'd wanted food she could've walked to the deli. Now she didn't want either Christian or anything to eat, but she did want to meet the driver of the red Audi. She moved towards the elevator.

"No, Ana." Christian tried to stop her. "Let's go somewhere else." He gestured back to the car.

"I'm not hungry, but I do want to pick up my maroon wrap which I know is here." She took another couple of steps closer.

"Ana." Christian said in warning.

She looked him straight in the eye. "What?"

"Don't do this." He pleaded.

"Do what? Go up to our apartment? Why not? What's up there that you don't want me to see? Or rather, who's up there that you don't want me to meet? I know it's Faye, but you must've forgotten to tell me that she was working with Luke. I'll put that in the same category of oversight with you forgetting that I was going to New York in fifty minutes."

She pointed to the elevator. "I'm going up. I guess Taylor has already told Sawyer that we're down here?"

"Yes ma'am," replied Taylor.

"Well then. What are we waiting for?" Ana glanced at the red Audi. It was well cared for, but a model that was several years old. "Good to see she looked after the car."

Ana strode towards the elevator and pressed the call button. The doors instantly slid open. She got in, followed by a reluctant Christian. She punched in the access code for their apartment. The doors closed and she felt a slight unsteadiness as the elevator rushed upwards so she could come face to face with yet another piece of Christian's past.

They didn't speak and as the elevator slowed to a halt and the doors slid open the silence continued. Ana walked confidently into the main room. It had been freshly cleaned as it was every Monday even though they no longer used it as their main home. Christian trailed behind her like a broken kite. Seeing that Faye wasn't in the main room, Ana set off for the office and found Sawyer there, but no Faye.

He got up. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Grey." One of the chairs around the desk wasn't quite pushed under enough. "May I help you?"

"I'd like to see Faye please?"

Luke's eyes flicked to Christian, who was standing just behind her. He must have given some indication that this was OK. "She's upstairs, Mrs. Grey."

"Upstairs? Why?"

But it didn't take a genius to work out that they'd tried to hide Faye from Ana. To have achieved that with a greater degree of success they should've made the woman park in another bay.

Ana turned and Christian stepped silently out of the way as she walked down the hallway to the stairs, her heels sounding loud on the polished wooden floor. She took the stairs slowly and calmly, Christian following behind her; but as they reached the top he darted in front of her and put his arm out to bar her progress.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

"Damn! I didn't bring up a kitchen knife. Would you be a darling and run back down and get me one?" Ana stared at him. He didn't think much of her joke. Or perhaps he didn't think it was a joke?

"She's pregnant."

"Not by you, I hope?" Ana's reply was laced with acid.

"I'll ignore that." He said through thin lips. "What are you trying to do here?"

"Honestly? Trying to make sure than when the dam does indeed break, that I'm prepared for at least some of it. I have to live in this city too, Christian."

"It's not going to get out!" He hissed.

"Really? Are you sure about that?"

"Yes and I wish you'd trust me."

"Trust is a two way street, Christian. Trust is telling your wife all of what's going on because you're not afraid to hide your life from her. Perhaps if you'd told me exactly why she's here today, I wouldn't be so curious to discover it for myself. Why exactly is she here?"

"She got…"

"Mrs. Grey?" An unfamiliar woman's voice cut Christian's explanation off and Ana looked up to where a woman was standing at the top of the stairs. Ana's eyes swept up from her pregnant body to her face and every drop of blood in her turned to ice. It was the woman from the photographs.

"Oh my God," breathed Ana. "It's you!" Ana went down a couple of steps, turned and fled, Christian hurried down after her. But he slipped to his knees on the freshly polished floor, giving Ana enough time to make the elevator, smash the button to close the doors and send the metal box plummeting into her personal hell.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19  
New York. 7.35pm, Wednesday July 8****th**

Ana checked her make up in the rest room mirror. The lighting made her look better than she felt and Yves Saint Laurent's _Touché Éclat_ was managing the rest. In her purse her BlackBerry started to play Blondie's _Picture This_. It was her current ringtone for Christian and it reminded her that she really must change the damn thing. She rummaged for it and tapped the screen to send the call to answerphone. She was very much tempted to swap the ringtone for another track on the same album - _Just Go Away_.

_Picture This_ had caught her attention one day on the radio for the line '_I will give you my finest hour. The one I spent watching you shower._' Watching Christian shower was a mighty fine hour indeed if Ana was any judge. But right now, pictures of Christian didn't so much fill her dreams as fuel her nightmares. There would be a showdown, she knew that. Sometime, somewhere he'd arrive and she'd have to face him when he did, because she'd run from him. The last time she'd done that it hadn't ended well.

They hadn't spoken since yesterday lunchtime, when Ana had fled Escala, thrown herself into the back of a cab and gone to SeaTac. She'd had Hannah messenger her stuff over from the office and had ditched their private plane for a spare seat on a scheduled flight, just in case Christian decided to jump aboard before Stefan took off. She'd holed up in a private room in the terminal until it had been time to depart. Throughout the day she'd been calmly going through the negotiations while her incandescently furious inner consciousness had raged at her, asking her why she hadn't told him about the photographs. Truth was, she didn't know. It was stuck. She was quite used to blurting things out at the best of times, but this one wouldn't come out. And when she'd tried to tell him something had always gotten in the way. It was worse now because time had passed. Now she had the additional fear of how he'd react simply when he saw date stamp on the envelope.

"Why didn't you tell me, Ana?" He'd say. Obviously, not in that calm, rational manner. God knows how he'd react and that was the crux of it. She may joke that his Mom had been the wrath of God, but the real wrath was him. A man with every means at his disposal to exact revenge, and one hell of a creative imagination with which to do it. Southeast Asian business put so much emphasis on manners and etiquette that sending a raging Christian into those negotiations next week might blow the whole deal out of the water.

As well as one voice screaming at her, another was telling her to keep it hidden for just a few more days. _After Singapore_ it kept repeating over and over like a stuck record. And that voice was louder than the furious voice. _Wait until the right time, Ana. Wait until you can ask him to clear his schedule for the day and then, sit down like the two rational adults you are and talk about it._ Or, as she suspected, where he could be detonated by controlled explosion and just take her out, instead of taking GEH and Venture Sengkang along with him.

And what about Faye? Ana stared at herself in the restroom mirror. No, she couldn't think about Faye. Faye would have to take a number and wait.

When she'd arrived last night she'd eschewed their apartment and checked into the St Regis under the name of the first cartoon character that had come to mind. Ana didn't know if Christian was sufficiently well-versed in _Scooby-Doo _to know that Daphne's second name was Blake. It had popped into her head during the flight when Ana was thinking back to more carefree times. She'd remembered a Halloween party that Kate had thrown in the October of their final year, where they'd all come dressed as _Scooby Doo_ characters. Ana had made a great Daphne and there was something about Kate that was a natural Velma. She was always sleuthing around. José had been hilariously unconvincing as Fred. It had made her laugh and taken away the pain of reality for a few moments. She missed those days. She missed the fun they'd had. Not that she would trade Christian for those times, but she could definitely lose all the crap than came with him. If she could, she'd buy a rocket from NASA and launch all his baggage into the heart of the sun. Were they rich enough for her to do that? She'd look into it on her return.

But one thing she resolved on. As soon as he got back from Singapore they'd talk. _Really_ talk. Surely she could hang on for a few more days until she could do this calmly and with sufficient safeguards in place to make sure that when he exploded he didn't take the rest of his life with him. Was that OK with the screaming harpy in her head? Ana took a deep breath. An acceptable compromise, yes.

But now she had to go out of this restroom and celebrate. Perry Publishing was now hers and Grey Publishing had a new Financial Director out of it. Ana had persuaded Perry's Olaf Sørensen across to Seattle.

She and Olaf were dining at The View and it had been his choice. Although he had a fine track record in financial management; Ana had noticed, with some amusement, certain controlling tendencies that Olaf shared with a particular CEO back in Seattle. Olaf was very picky, a creature of habit and he liked things done _just so_. He was in his mid-40s, tanned and fit, immaculately dressed and with a taste in interior decoration that was as minimalist as Christian's. Perry's offices looked like something from the 22nd Century. His ex-model wife looked like she'd been sculpted from ice and the pair of them were doing nothing to dispel the myth that all people from Sweden were blond, blue-eyed and uncompromisingly gorgeous.

When he'd come Seattle to look around, Hannah had actually walked into a room divider when she saw him for the first time. She'd never done that with Christian and several of the female staff had begged Ana to make sure that Olaf was a nailed-down part of the Perry deal. Hot Accountants were the new thing in the offices of Grey Publishing, much to Ana's amusement.

Christian and Olaf hadn't met yet, and Ana knew that it was because she was afraid of Christian being an arse and getting all territorial - again. What was it with her husband and his stupid idea that every man was out to steal her right from under his nose? She smoothed down her dress, a beautiful maroon one that Christian had bought on one of his rare lone forays into a clothing store. She picked up her purse, forced a smile on to her face and headed back out to the restaurant.

In her absence, Olaf had poured the champagne. "A toast!" He said. "To the future success of Grey Publishing."

"To Grey Publishing." She said and they clinked glasses. Ana downed it pretty much in one. For some reason she felt in urgent need of a drink.

Olaf refilled her glass. "So," he said as he settled back in his chair, loosened off his tie and undid his top button. "When do you want me?"

His slight innuendo make Ana laugh. "August 1st?"

"You don't want me sooner?"

"Marilyn doesn't retire until July 31st." Ana took another sip of her drink.

"Well, why don't I start on the twenty seventh and she can do a handover?"

"I thought you were up to speed on our accounts."

"I am. I wasn't thinking of that kind of handover. I need to know useful things, such as where's good for lunch." He smirked. His heavily Swedish-accented voice was deep. "Where do you go for lunch, Ana?"

"It's usually at my desk, or sometimes I go home. About once a month I meet up with a friend."

"You go home?" This seemed to confuse him.

"Yes. We have an apartment close by." She tried not to think about the last time she'd been there.

"You mean there are no long corporate lunches at Grey Publishing?"

She shook her head. "No. We're too busy."

"But you manage to find the time to go home?"

Ana took another sip of champagne and Olaf topped it up again. "As I said, it's close by and…" A ridiculous thought appeared in her head and out it came in that brain-to-mouth fail way that she had, occasionally. "I make a great sub!" She laughed loudly at her own private joke. Several diners on adjacent tables glanced disapprovingly in her direction.

"You eat subs?" He looked confused

"Yes, I eat subs!" Her eyes flashed with mirth, a recklessness took hold of her and she took another mouthful of champagne. "For breakfast!"

Olaf looked at her with consternation but she wasn't going to explain the heady release from the pressure of closing her deal and the amusement she'd found in one word to sum up the stupid set of circumstances she'd return to in Seattle.

"Mrs. Grey?"

Ana looked up. A waiter was standing by the table with a telephone in his hand.

"There's a call for you, ma'am. It's your husband."

"Oh!" She took the handset. How in God's name did he know she was here? Ana sighed. There was no point even dwelling on that. Her husband could make the CIA look like a bunch of Boy Scouts when it came to surveillance. "Christian?" She said tentatively.

"You. Are. Pregnant!" Came a voice that snarled with barely controlled rage. "And who's the Viking?"

He was here. Ana didn't even bother to look round. Wherever he was he'd make himself known soon enough.

Ana cleared her throat and tried to keep it together for the benefit of her new finance director. "I didn't know you were in New York." She said with false brightness. "I'm having dinner with Olaf Sørensen. He's going to be taking over from Marilyn next month."

"Is he now?"

"If you're here you should drop by and say hello."

"Count on it. I'll see you sooner, rather than laters, baby." There was the click of his call being disconnected.

"OK, bye!" Ana said to no one and ended the call on the restaurant's handset. "Christian's on his way over." She said as happily as she could manage, knowing that the wrath of God would be arriving shortly. Her mouth felt suddenly dry.

Ana poured herself a large glass of water and ditched her champagne for something that wouldn't cause any more aggravation. The conversation stalled between her and Olaf. He noticed the change in her.

"Are you OK?" He asked. "You seem extremely tense."

"I'm fine." She sipped her water.

"I'm not blind, Ana. I know what's been circulating about your husband these last few days."

"It's categorically not true. But we're both under a lot of strain right now and life isn't easy when you feel like you're living in a goldfish bowl."

"You seemed shocked to discover that he was in New York?"

"Sometimes his plans change at the last minute. It's not wholly unexpected." Not when she'd run out on him like that, ignored his calls and called Gail instead last night to find out how Ted and Phoebe were.

"I should go." Olaf made to stand.

"No! Don't." Ana pleaded. She wanted the security of someone else so he wouldn't explode at her here and now. "He could have plans," she covered. "And if you leave I'll be left eating on my own."

"But you need to talk."

"We will."

"You don't sound convinced."

"So much is going on right now. I guess the lines of communication have broken down a little." A slight understatement.

"All the more reason why I should go and you should spend the evening together."

A familiar glint of dark copper hair on the periphery of her vision made her look up. Christian was following the maître d' as he wound through the tables to Olaf and Ana. With him was someone else. A tiny, oriental-looking woman in a white dress. Her straight black hair fell over her shoulders like a curtain. She wasn't anyone Ana knew.

Christian bolted forward to her. "Ana, baby." He reached for her and Ana rose from her chair, letting Christian embrace her and kiss her, responding just as she would do had they not seen each other all day. His fingers brushed along her jaw. "You closed your deal?"

"Yes." She felt deeply confused. Mercurial was not the word for this man!

"I am _so_ proud of you!" He murmured fiercely, close to her lips. In an instant the tension in his eyes vanished and was replaced with a look that made her catch fire inside. His fierce pride sounded genuine and Ana tried to relax. "I have someone to introduce to you" he continued and stood back to reveal his dinner companion. "This is Huang Meien. I've finally managed to persuade her to become GEH's new Director of Operations for Southeast Asia. Ana didn't have to force on a smile. She'd heard the woman's name mentioned again and again over the last few years and she knew that Christian held her in very high regard.

Ana held out her hand. "I'm so pleased to meet you. Christian speaks very highly of you."

"He positively gushes over you." Meien replied and laughed. She was older than Ana expected her to be. About forty.

Ana glanced at Christian. He looked a little sheepish. "Guilty as charged." He smiled and his eyes flicked to Olaf. Ana took the hint.

"And I have someone to introduce to you. "This is Olaf Sørensen. He's going to be our new Finance Director. Olaf, this is my husband, Christian."

Olaf and Christian shook hands.

"Pleased to meet you. I hope my wife didn't drive too hard a bargain for Perry Publishing?"

"On the contrary, she offered a very fair price. We're glad to be with someone committed to championing new writers. As you're both unexpectedly in the same city, would you like to have my seat and have dinner together?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. Really. You stay. Meien and I have some details to talk through. I'll see Ana later at the St Regis."

_Fuck,_ he knew where she was?

He leaned in towards her. His soft grey eyes held hers like magnets. "Sorry for the call." He muttered. "I'll explain later… Ms. _Blake_." He stressed and arched an eyebrow opening wider eyes that were truly smoldering now. Hell, what was going on with him? "Enjoy your dinner." He murmured sexily. A sure-fire guarantee that she wouldn't.

She could already feel herself getting aroused and he hadn't even touched her below the chin. He stroked her jaw and then kissed her again briefly but tenderly on the lips. His eyes searched hers. Looking for what, she didn't know.

The maître d' escorted Christian and Meien to their table a short distance away, where she could still clearly see him. His rapport with Meien was easy and confident, whereas hers with Olaf was now self-conscious because Christian had deployed his _come-to-bed_ eyes.

Damn him! He'd done this deliberately, knowing the state he could have her in just with a few words and a few chaste touches. Ana took a big slug of iced water and tried to quench the fire inside. All this hell she'd put herself through with the photographs, and when it came down to it all she wanted was Christian. She wanted to curl up in his lap and hide from everything, safe in the knowledge that he would protect her. She knew he ultimately would, but everything had gotten so mixed up in her head. And what had effected the change between angry Christian on the phone and the sex on legs that had arrived at her table. They ordered and Ana couldn't help squirming a little in her seat. Tiny movements she made that she could see were not going unnoticed by Christian. Their eyes met frequently and she watched him place his hand on his lap. Was he trying to cover his own reaction to her? Ana bit her lip to hide a smirk. Women had it so much better in some ways!


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20  
New York. 9.29pm. Wednesday, July 8****th**

It was Ana who returned to the St Regis first. She stopped by the desk to let them know that her husband would be joining her and to let him have a key. She made her way with a spring in her step to her suite on the top floor. She didn't know how long Christian would be, but if he was feeling the same way she was then he wouldn't be too far behind. The eye-fucking they'd done in the restaurant was the most perfect appetizer and for the first time in ages, her tension was parked neatly in her brain with a 'deal with later' sticker on it. He wanted her, she wanted him and the mushroom risotto had been the best thing she'd eaten in weeks. She was suddenly ravenous for him. She hoped Christian wasn't going to take forever because her inner goddess was out of retirement and doing warm-up exercises.

She stepped out of her shoes, unzipped her dress, shimmied out of it and placed it carefully back on the hanger. Going to the vanity in the bathroom, she flicked the light on and grabbing some cleansing lotion started to remove the make-up from her face. New York was not the furnace that Seattle was but it had still been a sticky summer's day and she was looking forward to a shower.

Make-up removed, she turned on the shower and set it to something cool. She stepped out of her underwear and glanced down at her body. She was only seven weeks pregnant but already her breasts were starting to change and there was a persistent prominence to her stomach which she knew hadn't been helped by eating rice for dinner. But whatever she ate was irrelevant now. Her stomach wouldn't be flattish again until this time next year. Her hips felt wider and the dress which had fitted well in April when Christian had bought it for her had felt a little snug this evening. She looked at her body in the mirror. It looked like a body that had given birth to two children and had another on the way - and that was just fine. Being a Mom didn't stop her from being sexy. If anything she felt sexier now than she had done when she'd first met Christian. She wasn't a novice any more. She knew her own body much better, she knew his body much better and what they could do together was incredible.

Ana stepped into the shower and let the cool, refreshing water cascade over her. She closed her eyes and braced her arms against the wall of the shower and stuck her head under; feeling the force of the water strip away the city grime and send it spiraling down the plughole. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the rack, poured a generous amount into her hand and started to work it through her hair.

"Mrs. Grey, you're doing my job," said a familiar soothing voice at her ear. "That is not allowed. Here, let me." She gave a slow, sexy smile and took a step back to press herself into Christian as he massaged the shampoo into her scalp. He was hard and pressing against her back. She pushed back, reaching to grab his hips and hold herself against him. His hands finished her hair, moving down her neck, shoulder and arms to gently cup her tender breasts. Supporting them in his palms he gently stroked them simultaneously with his thumbs. He knew they were sore and he wasn't going to start kneading them, although that didn't stop him from giving her nipples a quick pinch.

"Ow!" She exclaimed. It was more pain than pleasure and he wisely didn't attempt it again. Using his body to push her gently back under the stream of water, he massaged the shampoo out of her hair, following it with long sweeping strokes of his hands, soothing the tension out of her shoulders and getting it to follow the soap suds down the drain.

Christian reached for the bodywash. He flicked open the top, poured some into his hands, rubbed them together and starting at the base of her neck slid his hands over her in ways that made the crap from the last couple of week melt away. And then she remembered how angry he'd been on the phone earlier. Was this a plan to disarm her? Expertly wash away her fight with St Regis bodywash? She gave a wry laugh.

"Is this to get my defenses down so you can mount an attack while I'm helpless in your arms?"

"No." He said gently, leaning forward and kissing her under her left jaw. "It's to get you relax than we can talk and make love."

She turned around to face him and it felt like she'd not seen him in months. His hair was wet and flattened to his head, his chin had a days' growth on it and the rings under his eyes were deeper and darker than they ever should be. She ran her fingers over them.

"Earlier, you…"

"I'm sorry Ana. I was angry." He said softly. "I've been angry at you since you left. You didn't take the jet. You wouldn't talk to me and then I get here to find you holed up here under an assumed name and out to dinner with Erik the Viking…"

"You mean Olaf the Accountant."

"Whatever. And you were knocking back the champagne. Yes, when I called I wanted to… you know," he sighed, admitting to things that were part of a past he worked hard not to act on. But a combination of Meien's comments and the cold light of day made me see things as they truly are."

"What did she say?"

"I've know her for years and she's wise, as forty-something women with teenage children have a habit of being." He rolled his eyes.

"She's got teenage children?" Ana's eyes bugged.

"Yes. I wouldn't like to be one of her kids, she's fierce. Anyway, she gave me this précis of how much I'd changed since I'd met you. She never would've considered coming to GEH if I'd still been the man I used to be and she told me to tell you that she thinks you've done a great job of extracting my head from my ass." Christian pursed his lips trying to fight back a smile. Ana laughed. "I wouldn't have Meien on board if it wasn't for you. And then I started thinking about all the other things I wouldn't have if it wasn't for you. So, I know things are a mess but I'm not going to make it a whole heap worse by wanting to spank you. It doesn't really help things."

"Oh, I don't know."

Christian smiled. "Well, maybe later. But if I want you to tell me what's wrong, then making you tense isn't going to get you to talk to me. I want us to talk like you used to send me long, rambling emails telling me how you _really_ felt. I don't want to be fobbed off with what you think I want to hear. You talk when you're relaxed and you're at your sexiest when you're relaxed."

Ana arched an eyebrow. "Am I?"

"Oh hell, yes! And this corny scene in the shower is my attempt to wash your cares away." He smiled, but Ana could see his own stress and worry in it.

"I think there's somebody else who needs his cares washing away." Ana reached for the shampoo.

She wished now that they were in their apartment. She'd never stayed at the St Regis before and she couldn't relax entirely when she was on unfamiliar territory. Christian had dried her hair and his fingers felt like heaven as they stroked her scalp, pulling out the tangles and interestingly, the knots of tension in her head. She in turn had finally been able to cut his hair. Now he'd look presentable when he pitched up in Singapore.

"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth about why Faye had come to see me. I've tried so hard to lock down my past and to have it come back like that was the worst anger I've ever felt. I couldn't believe that something had slipped through and worse, ended up in someone else's hands. But I'm having Sawyer investigate the group that sent it, find out how they got it and he's also updating the… files. Faye's working with him to check that the women are OK. I didn't intend the NDA to prevent them seeking help, but if it has, I'd like to reassure them that for the purposes of that, they can ignore it."

"You care about them?"

"In a _not wanting to inflict suffering on another human being_, way, yes. I'm not thinking of inviting them to dinner."

"No, we'll leave that particular horror to your mother." Ana scoffed.

"I'll talk to her."

"What will you say?"

Christian sighed. "I don't know. I'll think of something."

"Perhaps you should ask Faye to ask… Jessica to decline any invitations to the house and if she wants to have dinner with Grace, then do it somewhere else?"

Christian nodded. "That sounds good."

"So…um… was this photograph of you and her taken at Escala?"

Christian shook his head. "No. It was taken at a club I used to go to, way before I bought Escala."

"Was it somewhere you went with… Elena?"

"Yes. It's called the Devil's Kitchen."

"And… where is it?"

It's under a gym on a business park. Well hidden."

That explained the 'DK' written on the envelope, thought Ana. So her photographs had come directly from there, not from this Christian group that had targeted Faye. Ana wondered why they'd not all been sent to Faye?

"And… were there a lot taken?"

"I can't remember how many. I thought I'd destroyed them all, but one's obviously slipped through. It was a stupid thing to do, but I was young and…" he sighed. "Oh the things you regret doing...

"Once I bought Escala I didn't go back. When I walked in there the other night to confront the guy, it was the first time I'd been there in over ten years." Christian ran both his hands through Ana's hair one final time, smoothing it down her back. "I didn't like it."

"So you don't regret leaving it behind?" She said gently, looking at him in the mirror. He was sat on the bed behind her.

Christian scooped her hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck. "There is only one thing that I regret. That it's been nine days since we made love."

"You've been counting?"

"Baby, I count the minutes." He let go of her hair and pulled her back into him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

Ana could feel the tension in the muscles of his arms as she ran her hands along them. They looked at each other in the mirror.

"Mine." She whispered and stood up, walking around the stool. Christian sat back on the bed and Ana straddled him, taking him into her as she sat on his lap. Christian pulled her close, lifting her gently up and down a couple of times before wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. They didn't move, the only sound was from the traffic outside the windows.

Christian was uncharacteristically still and quiet.

"Are you OK?" She asked.

"My head's a little…"

"What?" Ana held his face and lifted it, searching his eyes and noticing the gathering knot on his brow. She ran a finger over it and tried to smooth it out. He wasn't as relaxed as he was making out. She tried to reassure him. "Only a few more days and Venture Sengkang will be in the bag."

"I'm not worrying about that. Now I have Meien on board I'm much happier."

"Is it this thing with the Moore woman?"

He exhaled. "Partly, yes. Not for myself, but for you."

"Me?"

"Ana, if…" In her purse by the bed Ana's cell phone started to ring.

"I'm not answering it." She said. "Go on."

"If anything…"

On the bedside table Christian's phone started to vibrate.

"Ignore it," said Ana. "Whoever it is can wait. Why are you worried about me? She's not picking through my past. Not that she'd find much."

"Just a very interesting photograph of you dressed as Daphne from _Scooby Doo_."

Ana smiled and kissed him. "Come on Columbo, how did you find me tonight?"

Christian pulled a contrite face. "I made a copy of that photograph. You look hot. It's a… kid thing." He blushed.

Ana's mouth dropped open. "Christian Grey, did you have the hots for Daphne Blake when you were a kid?" She laughed. By the bed the hotel room phone started to ring.

"Uh oh," said Christian. "Someone's desperate to get in contact with us." He held Ana tightly to him, shuffled along the bed and picked up the phone. "Hello?" _It's Taylor_ he mouthed to Ana.

Ana's hands were on his shoulders. She felt them slump and the rigidity go out of his back as he listened to something he obviously didn't want to hear.

"OK. Thanks for letting us know. I'll tell her."

Ana played with a strand of Christian's hair.

"No, I haven't heard from him." Christian continued. "Why, what's happened…? _What?_"

Under her hands Ana felt Christian tense up.

"He's _what_? Dead? When?! Yes, keep me informed. Arrange for Olivia to send our condolences to the family. Thanks for letting me know. I'll see you tomorrow." Christian replaced the handset and looked at Ana, he was wide-eyed and stunned. "Donald Edwards is dead."

"Of what?"

"A heart attack."

"But he's Mr. Health Freak?"

"I know." Christian's face was full of consternation.

"Poor Edith. They were just a few weeks away from their 55th Wedding anniversary. I spoke to her at the Coping Together event. I'll send her a note when I get back. She'll be devastated."

Christian sat in silence.

"When did it happen?" She asked.

"This morning. I can't believe it. If he can't keep healthy then there's no hope for any of us."

"That's so sad. He had some traditional ideas, but I liked him and I love Edith. What was the other thing Taylor mentioned?" Ana asked.

"Uh… Just some crap." Christian replied unhappily. "The gossip sites have pictures of you and Erik the Viking coming out of The View this evening. Apparently our marriage is dead and the vultures are circling."

"Nothing could be further from the truth."

"But we're not great are we?" said Christian. "I think these last few weeks have caused some cracks."

Ana shook her head. "Think of them as stretch marks. They look bad now, but give them time and they'll fade."

"But they'll always be there. My past will always be there whatever I do and wherever I go. You don't know how much I wish I could get rid of it. I wish that what all my past amounted to was one hot Halloween picture."

"You have a thing for Daphne. Who knew? How do you think that makes me feel, you lusting after a cartoon character?" Ana tried to lighten the mood.

Christian laughed and smoothed his hand under the pillow beside him. "I don't know how much you watched _Scooby Doo_, but did you realize that it was Daphne that would most frequently need to be rescued because she'd be tied-up somewhere?"

"Really? Are you saying that your bondage fantasies came from _Scooby Doo_?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I don't know. Perhaps." He smoothed his hands down her arms pushing them behind her back and grasping her wrists with his left hand. "But I wonder who would come to Daphne's aid this evening if she found herself tied up and helpless in the hotel room of a deviant, megalomaniac CEO?" Christian quickly bound her wrists with a cable tie.

Ana stared at him. "Where did that come from?"

"I came prepared." He smiled. "I put it under the pillow when I arrived. So Ms. Blake," he said, kissing her neck. "Who's going to rescue you?"

"Ah… we have a problem" said Ana, seriously.

"What?"

"Well, if we're playing _Scooby Doo_, then we've left the two meddling kids back in Seattle."

Christian threw back his head and laughed. "Actually no, the two meddling kids are hopefully fast asleep in our apartment. And no, they can't play this version."

"They're here?" Ana's heart tried to leap out of her chest, she missed her babies so much.

"Yes."

"Let's go back to the apartment!"

"Right now?"

"Yes. I can't relax properly here."

"Well, OK. But I'll have to fuck you first or I won't be able to get my pants on."

Ana giggled and started to move up and down, but with her hands out of action she couldn't brace herself and was unstable. "You'll have to hold me."

"Such hardship." Christian grinned. He placed his hands on her waist and supported her as she moved up and down him. Ana watched him carefully. As she moved Christian seemed to lose focus. He was miles away.

She stopped. "What's the matter?"

He reached sideways and from under the pillow produced a pair of scissors. He snipped the cable tie off her wrists and placed the scissors on the bedside table. He brought her hands together in front of her and wrapped them in his. He didn't explain why and remained silent.

"Christian?"

He stared down at their entwined hands. "She's got Jared. She's got Mark and now Donald is dead." He looked into her eyes. "I don't care what happens to me, but I couldn't bear what might happen to you if she found out about me." He was in anguish.

Ana pulled her hands out from under his and cupped his face, feeling the soft bristles press into her palms. "I'll still love you. No matter what."

"Will you?" He was almost wild-eyed. "Will you still love me when people shun you? When people won't do business with you? When your staff leave or bookstores return your stock?"

"That won't happen."

"It might. People can be so fickle."

Ana stared at him. There was something he wasn't telling her. She stared deeply into his eyes, trying to pull the information from him.

"She's dating Wayne Lincoln." He admitted in a whisper.

Ana kissed him. "Wayne Lincoln doesn't know everything about you."

"He knows enough."

A stab of hatred went through Ana but she swallowed it down. "Whatever happens," she said. "I am not going _anywhere_. I promise."

"Even if we lose everything?"

"We could lose every cent to our name and the friendship of every single person we know and I would still love you."

"What if our children find out?"

Ana thought about that. How would Teddy and Phoebe and the baby she was carrying cope with knowing their father's past? She hoped they would never find out. But as for explaining it? She'd need some help but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. "We'll deal with it." She said, trying to be reassuring. All the while her heart was breaking. This was the soft, vulnerable, underbelly of her husband. Nobody but her was ever to see this. As long as she had breath in her body she would fight for him and protect him. Marriage was about working together and Christian had done the protecting thus far. But it was her turn now, to fight for her husband and her children. Wayne Lincoln so much as _breathed_ in her family's direction and she would unleash enough fury to make the wrath of God look like a firework display.

She stroked the back of his hair. Ana was still straddling Christian and she could feel him growing soft inside her, his focus now taken by worry. She would fight for him for sure, but Christian needed to wear his own armor. The man in this room was so far removed from the super-confident man she once knew.

"You need to be the man I first met, again." She said softly.

Worried grey eyes met hers. "I can't be him; it feels uncomfortable, like I'm wearing the wrong shoes. He's not who I am anymore."

"But you need to find some way to cope. You can't live like this, being this worried."

He wrapped his arms around her. "You help me to cope. I need you. These last few days have been agony. Everything seems to be against me and I feel like I'm trying to shore up cracks in the Hoover Dam."

She and him both. "How do you need me?"

"Well, I need this, for one. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and find you in another room down the hall. I'm not the only one who's been worried about something and not talking about it. I know you're pregnant, but there's something else."

Ana swallowed hard. Was this the right time? Was this a safe place to detonate Christian Grey? She summoned her courage and opened her mouth. "It's… nothing. I was anxious about my deal with Perry. It's over now. I'm fine." In her head part of her howled like a demon denied. But another part nodded sagely and looked on with approval. _After Singapore_ it repeated. For some reason it just felt like the right thing to do.

"Are you sure?" He pressed. "You're not doing your usual trick of pretending it's fine but really it's tearing you apart?"

"No." _Liar!_ The angry part of her head screamed.

"So, no sneaking out of bed again?"

"No."

"Or I'll be forced to tie you to it."

Ana's face brightened and she grinned salaciously at him.

Christian looked at the padded hotel bed head that gave him no anchor points. "Yeah, let's go back to our place."


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Seattle. Thursday July 9****th****, 8.30pm**

By any stretch of her imagination Kate was out of her depth. She looked at herself in the mirror and smoothed the satin corset down over her hips. She could hear her heart thumping in her chest and her breathing was loud as she struggled to find her composure. She reached back into her bag and pulled out the mask that Susannah had given her. It wasn't like the elegant one that she had worn just a few weeks ago for the Coping Together ball, this one covered more of her face and was plain, black satin. Her hair was tied back and her name on the computer had been entered as Carrie Smart. There was no way she was revealing who she really was. Kate folded her clothes into her bag and stepped out of the changing cubicle, sliding her bag into a locker opposite. Next to her, another slender pair of arms slid their bag into a locker as Kate tried not to look.

"Are you ready, Carrie?" said Susannah and at her voice Kate relaxed a little. She turned to see that Susannah was dressed in a simple black camisole top and panties. She wore an identical mask to Kate and her hair was pulled into a braid that hung down her back. It wasn't what she was expecting at all. But what was she expecting? A mediaeval torture chamber? The name alone - the Devil's Kitchen - hardly conjured up the impression of scatter cushions and daisies.

"We'll get a drink first. It'll help you relax." Susannah led the way out of the changing rooms. "Remember, all you need to say is 'this is my first time,' and people will leave you alone. You can go with them if you want to, but you need to be clear where your boundaries are. For many, sex is expected. So if you don't have an open relationship with your husband this isn't the time to suddenly decide that you have. If sex is not explicitly ruled out, then it'll be included under the general heading of anything goes. But if you want to watch then ask. If they're happy to let you they'll say so. If they're not they'll tell you. It's one of the things I love about it. People are very clear about what they want and what they expect. In other relationships you could spend forever guessing."

Susannah hadn't had the best of days; she'd resigned from Lane, Neill and O'Driscoll. It was time, she told Kate, for her to get out of Dodge and get a fresh start in another city. She didn't want her work to be undermined by people's opinions of her. Middle-aged men were, she said, a very spurious bunch. Some of them were the most active and open-minded members of the Devil's Kitchen and others were the most narrow-minded bigots you could have the misfortune to meet. She'd worked for the latter and she knew after that that it was time to move on.

They walked out into an open central area. There were already about a dozen people here and Susannah guided Kate to the bar. Kate tried not to stare but couldn't help noticing a man on his knees to her right. He was young and knelt beside a woman with jet-black hair who was set on the banquette that ran the length of the right hand side of the room. He was motionless, staring at the floor and naked, save for what looked like tiny black shorts. Kate did not dwell on it, trying not to visualize Christian in much the same position with Elena. She knew that she was socially conditioned to think of a woman submissive and a male dominant as 'normal.' But to see those roles reversed for the first time was a reminder that she needed to leave every prejudice and preconception at the door. This club was a safe place for people for whom 'normal' was something different. They came here to meet other people whose normal was equally different and something they felt they could express in a place like this.

Susannah ordered some wine and they took a glass each over to one of the small circular tables and sat down. Kate was aware of glances in her direction. In the smattering of couples of all combinations there were a few single people, mainly men. A short, tubby man who'd been glancing in her direction, wasted no time when a tall, elegant woman arrived and they hurried off together.

"That's Michael Xavier," said Susannah. "The guy who owns the place."

Xavier took a key from a board on the far side of the room and both of them left their green plastic discs in its place. Kate took out the green disc she'd been given. It was stamped with the number 872. Susannah had explained that she'd leave the disc on the board so they knew who was in each room.

"So what do you think?" asked Susannah, sipping her wine.

"It's very dark."

Susannah gave a little laugh. "Not the décor. I mean…us. These people?"

"What, you think I'm going to high-tail it out of here and write an exposé on you all? That's not why I'm here."

"I'm sure your colleague will be writing an exposé on me. I'm just glad she traced me to Carlo's and not to here. Carlo's club is entry level. The guys are usually better looking but they don't satisfy."

"It's hard to imagine you with someone like Xavier."

"Michael? You come back and he'll want to put you through your paces. And if you want a partner, Michael's the guy to find you one. He knows everyone, he knows what everyone likes and he had a knack of putting great combinations together. He's who our mutual friend used to contact when he needed a new sub."

Kate was instantly alert. "He knows Chr…?"

"Shhh! Yes."

"Oh…" Kate felt very uneasy. "What if he recognizes me?"

"I doubt you'll see him for the rest of the evening. He and Helen are usually in for the night."

Kate looked at the young man knelt on the floor across from them. "That isn't something I've seen before."

"We have a lot of Dommes right now. Mindy's been coming here as long as I have. She's good friends with Elena."

That name caused alarm. "She won't be here, will she?" Kate hissed.

"She could be. She doesn't have her own facilities."

"Oh _fuck!_" griped Kate. That would not be scene she'd want to have. "Can we go check out the rooms? I don't want to be caught here if Elena comes in." She whispered.

"You're wearing a mask."

"It'd be just my luck for her to be an expert at working out who people are behind their masks."

Across the room Kate saw a tall, slim man looking at her. He was clad only in pale jeans and a full-face mask, but there was something unsettlingly familiar about him. He darted away towards the rooms.

"Who's that?" she asked. "The guy in the jeans stood over there?

"I don't see anyone."

"He was right there. Wearing a mask that covered his entire face."

"I don't know anyone who wears a full-face one. He must be new."

"He looked familiar."

"You shouldn't discount the possibility that someone you know comes here. If you do meet someone you need to keep it confidential."

"And does that work the other way? I don't want… my husband finding out about this."

"They wouldn't tell anyone else."

"Susie?" Kate looked up. A man had appeared at their table. "Are you available tonight?" He asked.

Susannah looked at Kate. "Can I?" Susannah saw Kate's unease and turned back to the man. "I have a friend here for the first time. Perhaps later?"

"I don't mind two, or a watcher."

"Carrie, what about watching?" Susannah raised a questioning eyebrow at Kate.

Kate's mind went utterly blank for a moment. She hadn't thought that someone would ask so soon. "OK."

They got up and Susannah and Kate followed the man to the board where he removed the key for room seven. Susannah placed her disc on the key peg and he motioned for Kate to follow suit. He placed his own green disc on top and the three of them walked down the long and only dimly lit corridor.

"This is Jon by the way," whispered Susannah. "He's a… regular of mine."

At the door to room seven they stopped and as Kate looked further down the hallway she saw the man in the jeans again, virtually hidden in the darkness at the end. He was staring at her.

"Carrie?" Susannah placed a hand on her arm. Kate looked back to her. "When I go in, I'm in the scene so just find a spot on the bench by the door. If you want to leave at any time, just go. You don't need to ask permission."

Kate thought for a moment. "Is this going to be like how it was with…?"

"No." Susannah whispered. "Each person is different."

Jon was already in the room. Kate stepped through the door and found a much smaller version of Christian's room at Escala and nowhere near as stylish. If IKEA did a set of furniture for playrooms then it might well took like this. Just like the rest of this underground club, it was painted deep indigo and lit with recessed white lights all around the ceiling. There was a plain four-poster bed at the end and, just like Christian's it had shackles at each corner and also hanging from the metal grid above it. There was another grid in the central section of the room and a tall padded bench pushed to one side. There was a large plain cupboard against the right hand wall which Jon had open and was selecting some items to use. There was no sleek mahogany X adorning the walls, no table and chairs and no sofa. The only place to sit was on a bench by the door. Jon came back over closed the door, slid a color panel to red for in use. Kate suddenly realized that she felt beyond awkward.

"Strip." Said Jon without any preamble and as Susannah pulled her camisole top over her head Kate sad down hard on the bench. Susannah's panties followed suit and she kicked them into the corner and walked over to where Jon was pulling out the tall bench. She stood with her back to Kate, and Kate noticed that at the base of Susannah's spine was a small curving run of nine tattooed hearts diminishing in size.

Jon stood behind Susannah and whispered something to her as he rolled on a condom. Once finished he pushed Susannah down over the bench, used his legs to force Susannah's aside and was in her and thrusting before Kate had managed to comprehend what was going on. She didn't know where to look. It was almost brutal and bore no relation to what Kate viewed as erotic. This was not what she expected, but there again did she know what she expected? Had Christian treated Ana like this, with not so much as a 'please' before taking her? How on earth could this be what Susannah wanted?

So many questions filled her head, so many emotions churned her stomach and Kate decided enough was enough. She slipped through the door closing it swiftly behind her. She stood alone in the hallway, deciding what to do. Should she wait for Susannah in the bar area or leave her a note and go home?

"Kate?"

At her name her head whipped around and she was face to face with the masked man.

"What are you doing here?" He continued in a soft, low voice that she couldn't place. His mask was black leather and covered his entire face except for his mouth, his eyes and two small holes for nostrils.

"Do you know me?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Who are you?"

"I'd prefer not to say. You can call me Nick."

"I don't think that's fair. Cut the crap and tell me who you are?"

"I appreciate what you're saying, but there are good reasons why I don't want to tell you. Can I get you a drink?"

"No. I'm driving."

"Coke, water?"

The mention of water made Kate's throat feel dry.

"Water. Iced water would be great."

"Shall we go sit in the bar?"

Kate thought about the likelihood of Elena pitching up. "Uh… no."

"I have room in use, we could sit in there."

"I'm not doing anything with you." She stated.

"I wasn't expecting you to," he continued in his smooth voice. "Go sit on the bed in room ten." He said firmly. "I'll get us some drinks. Oh, and don't touch the book."

Nick, or whoever he was, walked off. Kate stared at him as he went, trying to work out who he was. He wasn't Elliot that was for sure. Elliot had a mole on the right hand side of his back. Whoever he was though, his butt looked great in those jeans.

Kate walked to the end of the passage to room ten. The red 'in use' panel was across, but there was no one else in here. This room was even smaller than room seven and differently furnished, with just a cupboard by the door, a bed, which dominated the room and beyond it a grid from which restraints hung.

She approached the bed. It was plain dark wood and with an indigo vinyl mattress and a couple of matching pillows on it. It had the familiar shackles at the corners. On the far side of the bed was a black, hardback notebook and a silver pen. So who was the man in the mask? Kate didn't have to wait long to resume her quest to find out. He arrived back with a tall glass of iced water for her and a shot of what looked like bourbon for him. He handed the water to her and went and sat on the opposite side of the bed. He took a sip from the glass. She was in a place that she knew Christian had once frequented, so Kate needed to start with the obvious question. But tactfully, if it wasn't him an accidental reveal could be catastrophic.

"Why here? Why not use your usual place?"

The man smiled. "You're fishing."

"If you know me then you'll realize that I don't quit until I know the truth. So just make it easy on yourself and tell me."

"How 'bout we discuss not what I'm doing here, but what you're doing here? Who exactly are you on the trail of to wind up in the Devil's Kitchen? And why did you flee room seven? What did you see, Kate?" He took another sip of his drink.

Kate couldn't explain her presence here, it was down to her own curiosity about what people who didn't have straight sex did, plus wanting to know more about Christian's life before Ana. What had made someone whose world was this fall for someone as untouched as Ana? A woman who wouldn't obey him in everything? Or anything, for that matter. Ana could make steam come out of Christian's ears repeatedly and yet somehow she was what he wanted.

Truth was, she was fascinated by Christian's past. He was such an enigma and being a journalist she had to solve the riddle of him. It was a compulsion in her, just like any story. Elliot was aware of her tenacity when she got a story, but he was unaware of her ongoing curiosity about his brother.

By contrast, Elliot was uncomplicated. She knew she wasn't his first, or even his 31st, but he was upfront about that and the most he'd done to hide anything was when he was building up to propose to her. Other than that, Elliot Grey was as easy to read as a straight line. As for why she'd bolted from room seven that was easier to explain.

"It wasn't what I expected to see."

"Everyone's different."

"So what are you doing in here? Why did you say don't touch the book?"

"Because I'm preparing a scene and… it's not done yet. It's a little personal and I'm out of practice."

"You're a Dom?"

"Yes."

"And you write these things down?"

"Just notes mainly."

"Have you got a Sub?"

"No. Not had one for a while. I'm taking a little time out to re-think."

"Re-think what?"

"A lot of things." He took another sip of his drink.

Yet again there was something familiar about him as he did that. It was there on the edge of her mind but frustratingly just out of reach. "Just tell me who you are!" Kate blurted. "Are you… him?"

The guy gave a scoff. "Him? Of course I'm a him, do you want to see what's in my pants, to check?"

"No. I just want to know who you are." The exasperation in Kate's voice was clear.

"And I want to know what made you run from room seven."

"I told you. It wasn't what I expected."

"What did you expect it to be?"

"I don't know! A little more talking. A little more… erotic."

"And erotic is talking?"

"For me, yes." Kate admitted. This was where Elliot fell down. She needed him to talk to her. To talk about how he felt, what he wanted and in return, for her be able to talk to him about what she wanted. But she found herself uncharacteristically shy with him. He was an amazing guy and physically satisfying to be with. But sex for Kate started in her head, with the build-up and anticipation being just as great as actually being with him.

"Would you like to act out what you were expecting?" He said.

"You mean do a scene?"

"Well, no. A scene for me would have to go all the way. But let's talk about what you want."

Kate couldn't explain it, but to confide in him was incredibly tempting. Ever since Christian had locked her wrists in the cuffs she'd been longing for something more. Something to tantalize. Something erotic to make her feel sexy. She didn't want whatever that was in room seven. Kate sighed. She really wanted to do this with Elliot, but how on earth did she broach this stuff with him? He was already having a hard time wondering how she knew so much about sex toys all of a sudden. How did she get around to tactfully saying that, to borrow from Elvis, a little _more_ conversation and a little _less_ action would get her so much higher?

"Kate? Talk to me." He said.

"Can I trust you?"

"Yes."

"You know I'm married, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you know who my husband is?"

"Yes."

"Do you know him?"

"Yes."

_"Oh god!"_ Kate vented her reply in a scared whisper.

"Kate, you're in control here and what we do stays in this room." His voice was so seductive, as if it was resonating in the deepest parts of her. "You say what we do, you say when we stop. You tell me what you want and we will play it exactly as you want it. So what do you want?"

"I just want you to talk. I want to feel sexy and strong and…"

"And you don't feel like that now?"

"No.

"Why not? You're an incredible woman."

"You've obviously never given birth."

"No. Do you lose your sexiness with the placenta?"

"Perhaps not. I think it gets buried under diapers and childcare bills. It's sporadic. It comes and goes. Mostly goes."

He came around to her side of the bed. "So all you want to do is talk?"

"Yes. I want to hear you tell me what you see in me, how you feel, what we're going to do. I want the anticipation."

"You don't like surprises?"

"Sometimes, yes. But my head needs to be engaged before my body truly will be."

"I want to touch you. Is that OK?"

"Depends what you want to do."

"I want to run my right hand down the side of your body."

Kate took in a breath. It was just the sort of thing she wanted to hear. She could imagine it happening and her body responded.

"OK."

He placed his hand just below her right breast and ran it gently down her side to her hip, skimming over her curves. It was such a simple thing. Telling her what he was going to go and then doing it. It was a little piece of heaven!

"Was that OK?" He asked.

Kate nodded.

"You're very beautiful, do you know that?"

"Not really."

"Well, you are. Close your eyes."

She obeyed.

He placed both his hands on her ribcage and pulled her closer to him. Kate gave a small gasp of remonstration.

"Straighten your back." He said.

She complied. She lost her posture so easily these days. She spent so many hours hunched over her keyboard.

"Lift your chin."

She did so and as she did she felt his lips kiss her jaw. She gasped.

"You _are _sexy." He whispered between kisses. "When you don't feel it, straighten up and lift your chin. It makes you look incredible. You don't need me, or anyone else to tell you that. You just need to believe it."

Kate laughed. "Who are you, a relationship counselor?"

"Just someone who knows an attractive woman when he sees one. But I know you're not sub material."

"No. I don't want to be dominated. I just want to feel as if… I'm his Queen." Kate just wanted Elliot.

"I'm sure he feels that way."

"He never tells me. It's all so physical. I love the physical but I need my mind to be in the same place. Why is it I can tell you, a complete stranger?"

"I'm not a complete stranger."

"So who are you?" She stared into his eyes willing an answer out of them but they didn't give her the answer she was looking for.

"I'm just someone you know and when you leave here we'll forget all about this."

"You couldn't drop by my place every morning and help me to convince myself that I'm sexy, could you?"

"That's your husband's job."

"Could you train him?"

"Why don't you train him?"

"I can't get the words out. There's never time."

"Carrie?!" Susannah was out in the hall.

Kate went to the door, opened it and peered around it.

"I'm here." She said.

Susannah ran over. "Are you OK?" Her expression was one of worry.

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Are you with someone?"

"No. I'm just talking."

"To whom?"

"Nick."

"I don't know a Nick." Susannah hissed.

"He was the guy I mentioned earlier?"

"Oh. Well, as long as you're OK. I'm done here, I was going to head out."

"Already?"

"I can't do it. I'm too worried about you."

Kate didn't really want to leave. "I'll be just a moment." Kate closed the door again. "Will you make yourself known to me outside of here?"

"No."

"Why not? I'll keep your secret."

"And that's how I'd like it to remain. A secret, from everyone. But know this. You are sexy. Don't forget it."

"Why is it guys like you can talk to women? Someone else I know is good at talking like this. He's not fazed by anything a woman wants or needs."

"Perhaps he should talk to your husband."

Kate thought about that. Elliot having Christian's skills? Now that's what she wanted. Surely Christian could talk to his brother. "I'll ask him."

"You do that. Goodbye Kate." He said softly, turned and walked back to the other side of the bed and sat down.

"Goodbye." She said and left the room. She closed the door behind her.

**xXXx**

Kate and Susannah left the club and walked back out into the parking lot that served several buildings. It was a warm night and from the air conditioned building it was like walking into the equivalent of a hot bath. The heat made her struggle to breathe for a second.

"Do you want to come back sometime?" Susannah asked.

Kate thought about Nick and how he'd made her feel in that moment. It wasn't that he'd done very much at all, but what he had done had been so much more than a touch. She didn't want anything physical with him, but if she couldn't get Elliot to talk to her then she would be hard pressed not to seek Nick out.

"I'll think about it."

The sound of a sports car starting up nearby made Kate turn her head. A few cars down a polished black Audi R8 pulled out of a space and Kate's jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw the license plate.

"Oh my God, that's…" She pointed and flapped her hand in the direction of the car. "That's… Christian!"

The car roared off into the night.

"What?" Susannah was equally wide-eyed.

"That's Christian's car."

"What's he doing here?"

"I don't know. But… I thought he was down at the Yacht Club on Thursday nights?" Inside a bowling ball had taken up residence in the pit of her stomach. Nick's features had been unclear but there was an undeniable familiarity about him.

"Oh my God…" She said weakly. If Nick had really been Christian and he had been at the Devil's Kitchen, then this was something that she really didn't want to get involved with. The implications for Christian's marriage were not something Kate could bear to think about.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**St Mark's Cathedral, Seattle, Wednesday, July 15****th**** 3.35pm**

It was turning in to the longest week of her life and today was no exception. Christian was in Singapore and Ana was making slow progress down the central aisle of the cathedral after the Service of Thanksgiving for Donald Edwards' life. She'd arrived on her own and it had been imperative that she be there, to represent Christian and Grey Enterprises Holdings with the other members' of the Seattle Business Community.

Of the Edwards family she only knew Donald's wife Edith, well but there was no chance of getting anywhere near her. She was surrounded by family today and that's how it should be.

Here and there to the far left and right of her Ana recognized various people, but there was nobody she knew in the crush of black-suited men surrounding her. They were all deep in conversation and oblivious to her presence. If she was honest she was glad that she didn't have to make conversation. The quiet of the Cathedral had given her thinking time and she was not at her best today. She was missing Christian and she'd felt decidedly light-headed all day. When she finally managed to get out she'd place a call to Dr. Greene's office and ask if she could stop by on the way home.

"Ana?" Came a shrill female voice behind her. She looked around to see Lucinda, Jared Baker's wife - although from the currently circulating gossip, not for much longer. Lucinda Baker was in her 50s and epitomized everything a CEO's wife should be. She was slim to the point of thinness, had bleach-blonde hair, was dressed in black couture and Ana had last seen make-up applied that thickly when the plastering had been done at their house. Ana did not fit with the rest of the CEOs wives and it wasn't just because she was 30 years' younger.

"Ana, darling, you really must let me introduce you to Stacie Tyne." Lucinda curled her arm through Ana's and pulled her back down the aisle. "She's an up and coming designer and precisely the kind of person you and I need to promote." She was talking fashion at a funeral? How shallow was this woman? "And how are those little munchkins of yours?"

Ana assumed she meant Ted and Phoebe.

"They're …"

"Oh wonderful!" She said, obviously not really interested. "And Christian?" She craned her neck to look for him. "Where is he darling, I can't see him anywhere?"

"He's in Singapore."

"What in God's name is he doing out there? Not gone with his P.A. I hope?"

"No."

"And it's nothing to do with the photograph of him and that dreadful reporter that came out?"

"No. The dreadful reporter is his sister-in-law and my best friend."

"That's how it starts, dear." Lucinda patted her arm. "My advice is to keep a close eye on the bastard. Now, let me tell you about Stacie.

Oh! Elena!" Lucinda saw and beckoned over perhaps the last woman on the planet that Anastasia Grey ever wanted to meet again.

Through the crowd came an equally immaculate, blonde-haired, black couture-clad clone. The last time she'd seen Elena, she'd been drenched in the lemon martini that Ana had thrown over her.

"You've moved again, Elena. I can't keep up with you! Do you know Anastasia? She's Christian Grey's wife. Ana, this is Elena Lincoln, she owns the Esclava chain."

So all it was important to know about Anastasia Grey was whose wife she was. Not that she owned her own publishing company.

"We've met," Ana replied. Her voice surprised her by remaining pleasantly neutral.

"It's good to see you again Anastasia. I don't see Christian today?"

"He's away on business."

"He couldn't cancel for Donald?"

"Not this."

"He's in Singapore, _apparently_." Lucinda purred, her words dripping with insinuation that Christian must be up to no good. "Now, give me your address, I'm arranging my own Christmas party this year and I want to make sure you're there. If you keep moving around I'll never know where to send the invitation." Lucinda took a notebook and pen from her purse and handed it to Elena. "I was just telling Anastasia how wonderful Stacie Tyne is. You have some of her pieces, yes?"

That was a cast-iron guarantee that Stacie Tyne's clothes would never be seen on Ana Grey.

"Yes! I love her work, she cuts to perfection." Elena found a clean page in the book and started to write down her address. As she did, what unfolded before Ana's eyes was the exact same handwriting that had been on the envelope containing the photographs. The same distinctive looking 'g's and the same looping cursive.

Ana's jaw set ridged. Her teeth tried to crush themselves under the force that she was holding them together with, so as not to unleash the fury that was building up inside. She was in a Cathedral; this was not the right place to commit murder. But now she knew who it was that had sent her the photographs of Christian and Faye.

Elena finished her address and handed the book and pen back to Lucinda. "It's so good to see you striking out on your own," she said. You've been in Jared's shadow far too long. Men only hold us back." She flicked her wrist as if she was batting away a fly. "I do hope you're happy with Christian, Ana. How long is it now, four years?"

"Yes."

"And you're still together." The implication in her voice was one of incredulity.

"Yes. Imagine that." Ana gloated. She hoped the bitch troll would imagine her and Christian together and torture herself to death in the process. It would save her a job.

"We can walk over to the reception and talk about Stacie on the way," said Lucinda.

"I'm not going to the reception," replied Ana. "I have a meeting to get back for."

"A meeting?" Lucinda's Botoxed brow tried and failed to furrow. "Do you _work?_"

"Yes. I have my own company. Grey Publishing."

"Really? I didn't know that. I thought all you did was popped out babies."

"I do that too."

"Why do you work if you're Christian's wife? Surely you don't need the money?" Lucinda was struggling with the concept of working because you wanted to.

At that moment Edith Edwards came down the aisle flanked by her family. The throng of people parted like the Red Sea before her. Ana caught her eye and Edith stopped, making a beeline for her.

"Ana!" Edith clasped Ana's hands in hers. She looked like a grey-haired porcelain doll. "Thank you so much for the wonderful words in your letter. It was so touching that someone had taken the time to write their memories of Donald and not just sign a card. It gives me hope that manners are not forgotten things." Edith placed her hand briefly on Ana's cheek. "I had a lovely email from Christian this morning, apologizing for not being able to be here today. I can't wait for the news about the deal to go public. He deserves it."

"Thank you." Ana didn't know what else to say.

"And I hear you took over Perry in New York last week?"

"Yes."

"Congratulations. I wish I had pursued my dreams. All I can do now is sit at home and read about other people's success in the newspapers. Keep at it." Edith patted Ana's hands and leaned forward. "Don't turn into one of _them_." She added in a whisper.

Ana smiled. So the matriarch of Seattle society was not blind to the likes of Lucinda Baker.

"You must both come over for dinner sometime," added Edith. "I'll need lots of company from now on. Bring Teddy and Phoebe too because I always have lots of toys around. Are you coming to the reception?"

"I'm sorry, but I have a meeting to get back for."

"No problem. That you for coming today, I appreciate it." And with that Edith swept away and continued her progress down the aisle.

Lucinda and Elena filled the gap from Edith's wake. Lucinda peered down her nose at Ana.

"Well, aren't you the favored one?"

Ana gave a nonchalant shrug. All she'd done was to send a card and write a small note remembering an encouraging comment Donald had made to her about her business a year or two back. She couldn't help it if the rest of them were too busy getting their hair and nails fixed to bother. "Edith's a lovely lady and a good friend. It was the least I could do. Now, you'll have to excuse me. I have a four o'clock meeting."

Ana strode confidently down the aisle, trying to hide the mix of emotions playing within her and a dull ache that had set up low in her abdomen. She wanted to kill Elena Lincoln, kiss Edith Edwards and slap Lucinda Baker around the head with a handy Bible to knock some sense into her vacuous brain. There were downsides to being part of Seattle society and as much as she felt sorry for Lucinda's public humiliation, part of her felt she deserved it.

As she reached the end of the aisle a flash of purple caught her attention and she couldn't help but gawp at a tall, striking woman whose entire upper body was draped in a long mass of tawny, spiral curls.

"Mrs. Grey." She held out her hand. "Marnie Moore, _Seattle Times_. I'm so pleased to finally meet you."

Beside her was an enormous, portly man who looked like he'd been hewn from a tree. She needed no introduction to him, she'd seen Wayne Lincoln in the papers before. Ana's mental body count went up to three.

Ana briefly shook Marnie's hand, suppressing the urge to grab it, twist it up her back and tell her that if she got with a hundred yards of Christian, she'd regret it.

"No Christian today?" Growled Linc.

"He's away on business."

"His absence has been noted. I hope the family don't take it as a snub?"

The urge to tell him to go fuck himself was overwhelming.

"Christian's been in touch with Edith," Ana replied.

"But I don't see anyone from GEH in his place." Moore noted.

"I came. Don't I count?"

"But you don't _work_ for GEH." Moore said with condescension. The implication being that Ana just fucked their CEO.

She saw Marnie's game. She'd be making it known in the _Seattle Times_ that Christian wasn't there and neither was anyone else from his company. Her own name might conveniently be left out to insinuate that there was no love lost between Edwards and Grey. What a piece of work this woman was!

"No. I don't work for GEH, but I speak for Christian Grey."

"And do you have a comment about him being pictured with his brother's wife in a coffee shop?"

"Yes. I do. I'd be more concerned if Christian wasn't pictured with his brother's wife in a coffee shop. We're a family. We talk to each other. Go figure."

"And you leaving a restaurant with Olaf Sørensen last week?"

Ana laughed. "Do you do basic research, or is your entire knowledge-base gleaned from gossip? Olaf Sørensen is the new Financial Director of Grey Publishing. I had just closed the deal to buy Perry and we were out for dinner. Afterwards I went back to spend the night with my husband. Sorry to spoil the illusion that our marriage crashed and burned."

"And what about his dinner at the same place with Oakland Tech's Huang Meien? You know there's been talk for years that those two are more than just friends?"

Ana laughed outright. "Do you make this crap up? If you knew anything at all you'd know that Oakland Tech supplies several of GEH's companies. Why wouldn't Christian be out to dinner with Meien? You need to go find something to do and stop wasting everyone's time looking for trouble where none exists."

"Oh, but it does exist. Doesn't it Mrs. Grey?" said Wayne Lincoln. "I'm sure we both know that your husband's past is not the empty closet you'd want it to be." Lincoln leered at her. "Take my advice, jump now before the good ship Grey goes down."

Ana lost it. "Is that supposed to be a threat?!"

"It's a _warning_. He fucked me over and now I'm going to return the favor. You can tell him that from me. Come on Marnie, let's get a drink."

Ana was left speechless. A stab of pain went through her but she ignored it, consumed by her desire to rip the throats out of Elena, Moore and Linc. She turned and the pain came again, causing her to clasp her stomach. She knew Prescott was outside with the car and right now the safety of its blacked-out windows was what she craved.

As she walked the intensity of the pain grew and it made her wince with every step. She fumbled in her purse for her sunglasses and managed to put them on before she stepped out into the blinding sun of the July afternoon. Outside the Cathedral, guests mingled with members of the public and press. Ana was aware of someone talking her photograph as she concentrated on simply putting one foot in front of the other to walk towards her car. As she approached she saw Belinda get out of the front seat and hurry over to her.

"Mrs. Grey, are you OK?"

"No. Just get me the hell out of here!"

Belinda pulled open the door and Ana slid into the cool leather air-conditioned interior of the car. The slam of the door provided much-needed privacy. Prescott got into the front, revved the engine that was already running and pulled smoothly away from the Cathedral. The photographer that had taken Ana's picture stood and watched the car go.

Ana slumped back in the seat trying to take calming breaths, but the pain inside was too much for that. Something felt horribly wrong and as she adjusted her position on the seat she realized what it was. She felt wet between her legs. She reached up under her skirt and touched the wetness. When she brought out her hand it was bright red with blood.

"Oh no!" She cried. "Oh, please God, _no_!"

"Ma'am?"

"I'm bleeding! Oh God, Belinda, I'm losing the baby!"


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**Vancouver, WA. Friday July 17****th****. 6.45pm**

Kate negotiated her Mercedes SUV through the narrow streets of Haven Heights. It was strange to be back on Green Street after all this time. She parked up outside her and Ana's old apartment block and saw that the windows of apartment 7 were open.

Kate had called Ana on Thursday morning to set up lunch, but her P.A Hannah had told her that Ana was in New York for a few days. It was unlike her friend not to drop a line to tell her she'd be out of town, so Kate had called Ana's cell. But that had repeatedly remained unanswered throughout Thursday and into Friday morning. It had been a lunchtime conversation with her own mother that had shed a little light on things.

"Is Ana OK?" Her mother had asked.

"Yes, why?" It was still too early to mention the pregnancy.

"She called me. Asked if we still owned your old student place and whether it was free right now. I said yes. There's no one in until September. Ana's taken it for a few days. I'm worried about her honey, she didn't sound great."

"I'll call her." Kate had replied, but knew that any call she made would probably go straight to voicemail again. So she'd arranged for Elliot to pick Ava up from nursery and told him she needed to head down to Portland to follow up a lead. She knew in her gut that it had been the right decision to come. If Ana was holed-up here, then something must be very wrong indeed.

She got out and walked up to the front door, pressing for apartment 7. There was a little wait for the familiar crackle of the intercom.

"Hello?"

"Ana, it's Kate."

There was silence and then the low buzz of the main door being released and Kate let herself in.

When she reached the apartment Ana was standing in the doorway and it was as if time had turned itself back. She was wearing jeans, battered sneakers on her feet and a faded grey WSU t-shirt. Her face was scrubbed clean of all make-up and her hair hung loose down her back. The only way anyone would have noticed the passage of time was the addition of the nearly year-old baby girl on her hip.

"I'm guessing you had a conversation with your Mom?" she said.

"Yes. She told me you'd rented the apartment for a few days. You haven't returned any of my calls."

"I haven't returned anyone's calls, apart from Christian's." She stood back. "Come in."

Kate stepped through the door and took in the apartment as it was now. The décor and furniture were different but it held a startling sense of familiarity.

"I was just putting Phoebe to bed. Teddy's in your old room if you wanted to go say hello."

"OK."

Ana disappeared into her old bedroom and Kate made her way to hers, pausing at the door to peer around it. On the floor Teddy was playing with Lego. He was chattering away to himself as he fitted the bricks together.

"Hey little man!" Called Kate, hurrying over and crouching down beside him. "What are you making?"

"A place. A big place!" He said. He was dressed in pajamas and had the smell of a freshly-bathed child. His hair was still a little damp in places and a lock of it had fallen forward, forming a sweet little curl on his forehead. The plaster-cast on his left arm didn't look to be hindering him too much from his work.

"Is it for your plane?"

He nodded but kept on building. Kate looked around the room. Her Mom had furnished it not dissimilarly to how it had been when she'd had it. The bed was turned down and in it were two teddy bears. On the little table beside it was a small framed picture of Ana and Christian with Teddy when he was a baby.

By the side of the bed was a suitcase and a large canvas bag full of toys. Ana was planning to stay a few days, then. Kate ruffled Teddy's hair.

"Come on Teddy, time to put it away now." Ana said, walking into the room. She knelt down beside him and helped him to tidy away the spare bricks that he'd not used. Then Teddy pushed the half-completed building to the side of the room out of the way.

The little boy scrambled into the big double bed and Ana tucked him in. Teddy grabbed one of the bears and cuddled it.

"I want Daddy on."

"Sure." Ana walked back into the living room and returned with an iPad that she set up by the side of the bed. On the screen came Christian reading a story. She paused it, dimmed the lights a little, kissed Teddy goodnight and then set Christian reading the story. Ana walked towards Kate. "He did them last week before he left. He always reads Ted a bedtime story and he didn't want to miss doing it this week. Ted's already listened to today's one three times." She smiled and they left the bedroom.

Ana returned to the other bedroom and Kate followed her in. On the floor in a travel crib was Phoebe. She was wriggling about slightly, but Ana was happy that her daughter was settling. She dimmed the light further, closed the door and headed into the kitchen.

"Glass of wine?" asked Ana.

"No thanks."

Ana poured herself a large glass of white wine.

"Should you be…?"

Ana put the bottle down, her hand remained on it. "I lost the baby."

Kate said nothing. She swept her friend up into her arms and held her for several minutes. But Ana was silent and almost unresponsive. Kate took a step away.

Ana shook her head. "I can't cry." She whispered. "I'm completely numb." She took a sip of the wine. "And I don't know how to tell Christian. Right now I'm pretending nothing's wrong because I know if he knew what's happened he'll bail out of the deal and come home. I don't want almost four years' worth of work thrown in jeopardy because of me. But I don't know what to say. It's been two days and I know he's going to be off the scale of unreasonable because I didn't call him the second it happened."

"When did it happen?"

"Wednesday afternoon. We were leaving St Marks. Belinda took me straight to the hospital, but it was already too late."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ana shook her head. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to hide."

"So you came here?"

"Yes. You can call it my happy place. After they discharged me I called your Mom, stopped by for a key, grabbed some stuff and came down here. I feel safe here. This place holds so many happy memories. I even stopped by Clayton's this morning. Nobody I worked with was in, but I wandered around the store, trying to stop Teddy picking everything up." She smiled. "He almost pulled off a whole reel of chain."

"Your boy's making a bee-line for the chains?"

"I know. Like father, like son."

The two women laughed.

"But even so, Ana, Christian's back tomorrow. Are you still going to be here?"

"I don't know."

"You have the Seattle Business Network launch to go to."

"I don't want to go."

"That's understandable. I doubt Christian will want to go, either when he finds out. Can't say I'm looking forward to it."

"I won't tell him before we go. He won't go if he knows and it's too important for him not to turn up. He's their inaugural President.

"That isn't the reason I don't want to go, though. I'm quite used to zipping myself into a dress and getting out there. I checked the guest list. Elena Lincoln, Marnie Moore and Wayne Lincoln are on it. Wayne Lincoln's out to get Christian. He told me himself. Their business relationship ended acrimoniously several years ago when Christian put him out of business and now he's out to return the favor. He knows about Christian and Elena and he has a direct line to the woman who's on the case of the biggest Seattle CEO's. I'm expecting it to come out with the news about Christian's deal."

"That embargo lifts in about an hour and it's going to be the lead in the _Seattle Times_ tomorrow. Want me to find out whether anything from Marnie will be in there too?"

"I don't care."

"What?"

"I don't care anymore." Ana look a large slug of wine. "I have been battered on an almost daily basis by Christian's past, pretty much since we met. I can't take it anymore." Ana refilled her wine glass and put the bottle back in the fridge. She pushed past Kate and went into the living room, sitting down on the sofa and putting her feet on the edge of the coffee table. Kate took an adjacent chair. "I love him, but I can't continue to live in a world where I am waiting for yet more skeletons to fall out of the closet. I spend most of my time these days waiting for the Bitch Troll, the Bitch Troll's ex husband, Marnie Moore, or a parade of fifteen women who have all been fucked, or fucked-up by my husband, to strike another blow. I can't deal with it anymore. I've stopped rolling with the punches, Kate. I'm reeling." Ana paused and took a sip of wine. "There are days when I regret it." She admitted.

"Ana…"

"I was twenty-one and fresh out of College," she continued. "What did I really know about life? What did I really know about the demands that his life would place on me? Did I really stop and think about his past and the impact it might have on me? That it might slowly corrode away every joy of being with Christian?"

Kate said nothing.

"Please, don't get me wrong, I love him totally, but if I could, I would grab him, the children, a few clothes, and leave every last dime for somewhere new. I'd get us a new life, pick a new name and start over. That's all I want, Kate, just him and the children. Everything else can go to hell."

"I think you need to talk to him."

"You think?" Ana said with sarcasm. "Anyway, I'm done talking, I've already bought a house."

"What? Where?"

"In England."

"You bought a house in _England?_ When?"

"Today. You remember we went to stay at Sophie and Charles's place back in February?"

"The house on the western fringe of nowhere, as Christian called it?"

"Yes, their summer place down in Cornwall. Sophie and Charles are getting a divorce. It's Sophie's to sell and I bought it cash, this morning. Christian loved it there. We spent two weeks in this great house only a short walk from the Sailing Club. Christian got to know Matt, the guy next door who owns a boatyard and the two of them went sailing pretty much half the time we were there. I've never seen him so relaxed, even after they'd been out in the Atlantic in a force eight gale. In the evenings we put the children to bed, cooked dinner, ate, cleared up after ourselves and curled up in front of a log fire. Neither of us wanted to come home and that's all I want, Kate. The irony is that I can buy pretty much anything I want in this world, but I can't buy the thing I want the most: Freedom from his past."

"I thought his previous relationships were locked down."

Ana gave a mirthless laugh. "They're playing their own private game of 'Whack-a-Mole' right now. If it's not one popping up it's another. And this time I get to see what they did."

"What do you mean?"

Ana reached into her bag and pulled from it a brown envelope. "Elena Lincoln sent me some old photographs of Christian and his first sub." Ana tossed them over to Kate.

Kate held the envelope in her hands. "I'm not sure I want to see these."

"Neither did I, but sadly, Elena didn't think to warn me. I got an eyeful before I knew what was happening. There are six photographs in there. In five of them he's fucking her and in the sixth she's got him in her mouth. I don't know where they were taken, but I hope to God not at Escala." Ana took a sip of her wine. "Faye was sent one too. So, not only do I have to worry about photographs of my husband screwing another woman, but they're not even sure where all of them are. Great! No wonder I lost the baby."

Kate looked at the envelope. It was clearly addressed to Mrs. Grey, Ana hadn't opened it by accident. She lifted the end of the envelope. She didn't want to see Christian, or this Faye, but she did want to see one thing. She pulled out the photographs a little way to see that the background wall was indigo. They'd been taken at the Devil's Kitchen. She pushed the photographs back into the envelope and placed them on the coffee table.

"If it's any help I know where they were taken."

"The Devil's Kitchen?"

"You know it?"

"Christian's mentioned it. How do you know about it?"

"I've been there."

Ana stared at Kate.

"I went with Susannah." She continued and then gave a shrug. "To see what they do." She admitted. "You know I'm curious about what you guys do in that room of yours. You've never regretted that?"

"The Red Room of Pain? Turns out it's not as painful as real life." Ana ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass. "I wouldn't trade what Christian can do in there, but I wish I could erase the reason why he knows how to do it. Although explaining to the world how 341 episodes of _Scooby Doo_ have been destroyed, might be a problem."

"What?"

"Nevermind. A private joke."

"Hey, do you remember that great _Scooby Doo_ Halloween party we had here?"

Ana smiled "Yes."

"We should do that again. Elliot and Christian are totally right for Fred and Shaggy. How about this year? We'll host it!"

"Sounds great."

"You sound unconvinced."

"I'm tired Kate. I just want this month to be over. I can't think about tomorrow, let alone something that's going to happen at the end of October. I need a vacation."

"I'm sure Christian will be on to that when he gets back. You're sure you don't want to lie on a beach in Barbados for two weeks with us?"

"No. I don't want to go anywhere hot. I feel like I'm being roasted alive every time I step out the door. I don't know how my Mom copes with the relentless heat in Georgia, because this is too much. And with what's going on in my life, it feels like hell's fiery torment. I have never wished for rain so hard."

"It'll come. By September you'll be desperate to see the sun again."

"I won't. Not after this summer."

"So if the news gets out you'll be moving to England?"

"I guess."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I'll keep the place anyway."

"Will you tell Christian about it?"

Ana furrowed her brow. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"If you didn't, you'd have a little bolthole to call your own."

"And you don't think a man with the search capabilities of NORAD could track me down? It's useless to keep anything from him. He always finds out."

"Does it work the other way? Does he tell you everything he does or buys?"

Ana didn't answer.

"All I'm saying, Ana, is that somewhere that he doesn't know about might be a good thing."

"At the end of the month he'll meet with our accountants and see that three million dollars went out of our account today. I don't make a habit of spending money. That I spent any at all will have him checking my temperature."

"Three _million_ dollars? What is it, a gold plated house?"

"No. It's an expensive area and the exchange rate's crap right now. But it's the most gorgeous old house. It's got five bedrooms, cozy nooks, a great kitchen, fabulous conservatory, sea views and beautiful gardens. It's gorgeous. You've got to come see it."

"Why there? Why not buy somewhere here?"

"Because, I'll never tire of England."

"Even after they tried to blow you up?"

"No. I still love it."

"But I'll miss you."

"Come over, anytime. They do have telephone and the internet, you know? We're not going back to the Dark Ages."

"But you'll be on the other side of the world."

"And I'll have Christian all to myself. No media and no past to come back and haunt me…"

"…and no babysitters. What's Grace going to think? She'll go loop-the-loop."

"We will have babysitters. Lexi, Matt's wife has already babysat so we could go check out Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant. Grace will go loop-the-loop, not because we're there, but when she finds out what Christian was into for so many years. She might not want to see us anymore."

"I don't believe that for a minute. That she'd struggle to speak to Christian, I can believe. But she would never cut you and the children out of her life. One thing's for sure, I don't like Elena Lincoln's chance of survival if Grace finds out that it was her who introduced him to that world."

Ana smiled. "There could be some definite upsides."

"So will I see you at the Business Network launch tomorrow?"

"I guess you will. But I'm staying here tonight. Christian isn't due home until late afternoon and I'm going to give in to Teddy's demands and take him to McDonald's for lunch."

"Doctor Grandma won't approve."

"No, but Mommy does and in Ted's world that's all that matters."

Kate looked at the time and sighed. "I'd better go. I'm so sorry about the baby."

"Yeah. That's going to be one hard conversation to have with Christian. Not that everything won't be a hard conversation with him, in time. At least it was only a few of us who knew. I'm glad I don't have to explain this one to Grace."

"I'm sure you can try again."

"Yes. Perhaps when there's not so much going on."

Kate took Ana's hand. "If you want to talk, I'm always here."

"Thanks."

Kate leaned forward, hugged Ana and then left the apartment, stepping out into the still warm summer's evening. The sun was starting to set and everything was infused with a beautiful golden glow. She looked up and down the street that was once her home and gave a little smile. Ana was right. They had been happy memories.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Mercer Island. 10.35am, Saturday July 18****th****. **

Andrea had left Emma with her Mom for the morning. She pressed the doorbell on a large, grey, clapperboard house in a smart neighborhood on Mercer Island. As she waited for the door to be answered she removed her sunglasses and fanned out her hair. It had been several years but she knew there would be no chance of Penny forgetting who she was. The door opened and there stood a woman as dear to her now as she had been that night when she'd given Andrea and her mom the sanctuary they needed.

"Andrea! Oh my goodness!" Penny hugged her as if her life depended on it, then stood back and looked at her. "You've grown."

Andrea laughed. "I'm thirty one. I can only have grown sideways."

"You know what I mean. Come in, come in and have some of my lemonade. I know how much you love it."

Andrea stepped into the cool, dark, house allowing her eyes time to make the adjustment. Little had changed since the last time she'd been here, which was several years ago now and Penny's house still smelled like an antique shop. She followed Penny into the kitchen which was, in contrast to the rest of the house, light and bright. The sun was shaded from the windows by a thick yellow canopy that had been pulled out from the wall of the house above the kitchen windows. Penny went to the refrigerator and pulled out a large pitcher of pink lemonade. From a cupboard she pulled out two tall glasses, added a generous quantity of ice to each and filled them both with lemonade.

"Freshly made this morning," she said, handing Andrea one of the glasses.

Andrea took a sip and was instantly eight years old again. She must get the recipe from Penny so she could make this for Emma. Some things were too good not to pass on to the next generation.

"Now, you tell me about this little baby girl of yours. Your Mom sent me a picture. How on earth did you end up giving birth in London of all places? Or is London her name? I don't know what's with girls calling their babies all kinds of odd names. I'm sure it's only a matter of time until I meet one called Twinkie."

Andrea smiled. "She's called Emma. And yes, she was born in London. She arrived a little early. Did Mom tell you what happened to my boyfriend?"

"No dear?"

"He was injured in the bombing there back in May."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. Is he OK?"

"He's getting back to full fitness, yes."

"_Boyfriend?_" Penny stressed and looked down the glasses on her nose. "Is there a wedding date set?"

Andrea smiled. Penny was nothing if not traditional about some things.

"There was. But I'm not sure now."

"Oh?" Penny sat on a stool at the breakfast bar and indicated for Andrea to do likewise.

"It's a little complicated. It's kind of why I'm here today." Andrea sat down.

"So tell me about the _boyfriend_."

"His name's Luke."

"And do you love him?"

"Oh, totally."

"And _are_ you going to marry him?"

"Yes!"

"When?"

Andrea's face fell. "Right now, I don't know. It was supposed to be this Christmas in Europe. But our plans have kind of fallen through, so we'll need to re-think. We might just get married in Seattle instead."

"Church wedding?"

Andrea shook her head. "It's not Luke's thing."

"And what about it being your thing?"

"I don't go anymore. I don't have the time."

"You're still working for that guy who's in all the papers this morning?"

"What? He's in the papers? Why?"

"Some huge deal he's brokered? Now owns half of Southeast Asia or something?"

"Oh God, yes! It's the 18th. Venture Senkang." Andrea smacked her head with her palm. "How could I forget so quickly?"

"It's babies dear. Your brain comes out with the placenta. You'll get used to it. So you've not seen today's paper?"

"No."

Penny got up and walked out of the room, returning with the _Seattle Times_ which she dropped on the counter in front of Andrea. There, on the front page, staring directly at her with those piercing grey eyes of his was Christian. He looked more gorgeous than any man had a right to. He was casually dressed (for him), in jeans, a white shirt and a dark jacket. The picture had been taken at the opening of a new gallery he'd gone to back in April. Ana wasn't in the picture but Andrea knew she'd been there. The informal picture was an odd choice to illustrate a major business deal, when GEH had a stock of more formal ones the _Seattle Times_ could have used. She read the headline and the details of the takeover that they'd all worked for so long on. And then she noticed another side piece about Christian being the inaugural President of the Seattle Business Network, launching tonight. She didn't know about that and furrowed her brow at being out of the loop on the man's life. She turned to the main article inside. Yet again they'd used another informal picture of him, this time with Ana. They were very much the successful young couple. But did people really know what he was like? That he gained pleasure from inflicting pain on women? She'd seen the pieces on Jared Baker and Mark Grainger over the last couple of weeks. Was the world going to go on believing that Christian Grey really did walk on water, or was it up to her to tell them that when it came down to it, he could be a real pain in the ass for more than one reason?

"He's very handsome" commented Penny.

"Hmm." Andrea replied. It was true enough. The women at GEH who idolized him would be clipping it out of the paper or right-clicking it sand saving it to their picture folders on their computers. But they didn't know what she knew. They didn't know what was hiding in a blue photograph album in his desk drawer. And that was the reason she was here today, she needed advice from Penny.

Andrea closed the newspaper, folded it in half and pushed it back across the counter. She could still see his crotch. Even that was distracting.

Penny seemed to know that Andrea was ready to talk.

"So what can I help you with?"

"I have a situation with a girlfriend of mine." She needed to keep this strictly away from any mention of Christian and Ana. "I found out that her husband is beating her."

"How did you find out?"

"I found a photograph he took of her. I think he likes it when he sees that he's hurt her."

"Does he know that you know?"

"Not explicitly. But the last few times I've seen him, I've found it hard to be civil. You know how this presses my buttons."

"I know, Andrea. And nobody who saw you or your mother that night would ever believe that domestic violence is something we should keep quiet about. Does your friend know that you know?"

"Not yet. I want to know what to say to her. The last time I saw her she didn't look happy and I'm worried about her."

"Do you think she's in danger?"

"I don't know. What do you class as danger?"

"Your mom's situation."

"I don't really know enough about them to judge that."

"Are there any children?"

"Yes."

"OK. Does your friend have a lot of unexplained bruising? Is she calling in sick a lot or not attending things she's supposed to?"

"I…I don't think so." She would need to ask Hannah whether Ana was giving cause for concern.

"Is her husband a violent man?"

"He can be very intense at times." An image of a smiling Christian at the barbeque, giving her a flash of his vomit-inducing swim shorts was not the image of the intense Christian Grey she was looking for. She was thinking of him years ago when he never laughed, rarely smiled and always looked like he could vaporize you with a look.

Penny got up and walked over to another counter to pick up a card. She placed it in front of Andrea. "Those are my contact details. Give them to her. Let her know that there are people she can talk to. If she makes contact then I can find out whether she's in danger. We have other safe-houses if it comes to that."

"You have someone here?"

"Yes. Her name's Tracey. Odd that you should mention photographs. We've had a huge breakthrough in the last few weeks. She contacted Azurelight and brought with her a massive stack of photographs of people doing things to each other than no decent human being should ever do or see. Some of them are of her friends and she's working with us to contact them and give them the option to escape that world if they want to. It's hard to believe what some people will do for kicks." Penny took a sip of her lemonade. "In thirty years I've never seen such depravity."

"Have you had many replies?"

"One positive, and one telling us where we can roll it and shove it. It's their choice, they say."

"But you're in contact with one? That's good."

"Yes. I'm meeting her again shortly. Her name's Faye. She's married with a baby on the way. She wasn't what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?"

"A victim. A hopeless case. But she's not like that at all. She's smart and simply ended up taking a path that ended in a blind alley." Penny took a sip of lemonade. "Have you told Luke about what happened to you?"

Andrea shook her head. "No. I really don't want to pick through that. My life, as far as I'm concerned, started the night I walked into this house."

"In your little rabbit PJs."

"You remember what I was wearing?"

"Of course." Penny leaned forwards and placed her hands over Andrea's. "Hard to say this, but you always remember the really bad ones."

Andrea took a drink to cover up a lump in her throat.

"Get your friend to call me," said Penny. "You don't have to explain things to her, let me do that. Her situation is not your situation and what was right for your mom and you may not be right for anyone else. Each case is different. Now, do you have any pictures of Emma that I can see?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Andrea whipped her iPad out of her purse.

Having caught up and had a reassuring chat, Andrea said goodbye to Penny and made a promise to bring Emma to see her. She put on her sunglasses and stepped out into the blinding sunlight once again. She hadn't gone more than a dozen steps to her car when a huge black Audi screeched to a halt alongside her. The window slid down.

"Andrea? What are you doing here?" It was Luke.

"I came to see a friend. I texted you?"

"I know, but… _here_?"

"Yes. What are you doing here?"

"Working."

"On Mercer Island?"

"Yes."

Andrea gave a huff of indignation. "Is this yet another secret that you can't tell me?"

"Yes. But it also seems to be a secret that you can't tell _me_. What are you doing with Penny Squire of Azurelight?"

Andrea didn't reply.

"Andrea? What were you doing in that house?" Luke repeated.

"What are you doing watching that house?" she countered.

"I was asked to."

"You know what it is?"

"Yes. It's a safe-house."

"Then you should know that you hanging around in this street is putting vulnerable women in danger!" She hissed.

"Andrea, I appreciate that. I'm just trying to do my job."

"And what does Mr. Grey want with a safe-hou…" She trailed off. A sudden, horrible thought gripped her. "Oh my God!" She paled. "He's going to stop her!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Luke opened the door of the car and stepped out. "Andrea, are you OK? Get in I'll take you home."

"No!" She backed away.

"Andrea."

"No! I have my car." She strode quickly away.

"Andrea!" Luke went after her, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around. Andrea yanked it out of his grip.

"Don't you _dare!_" She hissed.

He looked down at her and gently smoothed the hair from her face. "Andrea, sweetheart, what's happening to you? You're going bat-shit crazy right in front of my eyes. We'll get you the best Doctor. Mr. Gr…"

She cut him off. "Mr. Grey can go fuck himself for all I care!" She glared at Luke. "I'm not going bat-shit crazy!" She hissed. "All that's happened is that I've had my eyes opened and I will not work one more day for anyone who gets their kicks from inflicting pain on women. I'm done with GEH, I'm done with him and if you don't leave his employment, I'm done with you!"

Luke was instantly serious. "What have you found out?"

Andrea did not reply.

"Andrea! I need to know what you've found out and how you found out about it." Luke was in an instant back to being the intimidating bodyguard.

She folded her arms. "What are you going to do, silence me?"

Luke folded his own arms. "What are you going to do, tell people?"

She considered that. "Yes. I think people have a right to know that he hits his wife."

"He does _not_ hit his wife."

"Then what does he do?" she hissed. "Paint her ass with blush?"

The penny suddenly dropped for Luke. "Oh…" He said and turned away with a smile.

"It's not _funny!_" Andrea exploded at Luke and stomped off down the street to her car. Luke sauntered after her, more relaxed. As she fumbled for her keys in her purse he pushed himself between her and the car door.

"It isn't what you think."

Andrea didn't look up. "What do you think I think? Damn, where the fuck are they!"

"Andie, this is really nothing."

"_Nothing?!"_ Her voice jumped an octave. "You think domestic violence is _nothing?_" She threw her purse down to the floor and pulled down her t-shirt and the top of her bra exposing the white circular scars on tops of her breasts. "What do you think these are chicken-pox scars?"

"You told me they were insect bites."

"Well they're not!" Andrea said, suddenly contrite and releasing her clothing.

Luke pulled her t-shirt down, slowly this time, reaching the first scar and looking at the small white circle. He didn't need to ask what they were, he knew.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

"Penny took Mom and me in the night we left. Mom was in a bad way. She had four broken ribs."

"You never told me."

"I don't really want to talk about it. It's not a part of my life I want to remember." Andrea looked up. "What are you doing here? The truth."

"I was watching the house. Your friend sent something to a friend of Mr. Grey's. He wanted me to check it out."

"A photograph?"

"Yes. Now tell me. What did you see?"

"A photograph. In an album. In the bottom drawer of his desk at GEH."

"And you were looking because…"

"Because I'm a nosy person!" She rolled her eyes and he grinned. "It was just pictures of his kids and Ana. They were so sweet. Then all of a sudden there was this picture of some woman's red butt cheeks in there."

Luke pulled her to him and hugged her. Andrea snaked her arms around his immense body and held him tightly. He kissed the top of her head. "He doesn't beat her. But he does spank her."

Andrea pushed away from him. "That's the same thing."

"Believe me, it's not. There's a big difference."

"He's still hitting her."

"He's not. Well… not in anger."

"Oh and hitting women if you're not angry with them is fine? That's comforting to know. _Not!_"

"Andie, it's not like that. It's spanking. It's… arousing. Like you enjoy having me…"

Andrea smothered his mouth. "Not in the street for crying out loud!"

"Oh come on. You and me are hardly making love with the lights off. We enjoy spicing it up, what makes you think Christian and Ana don't?"

"But he hits her."

"_Spanks_ her and perhaps she asked him to."

"It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"That's understandable." He pulled her back to him.

Andrea rested her head against Luke's chest. "He's always given me the impression that he's a very urbane man. It never occurred to me that he might do something like that."

"You mean than he doesn't know anything other than the missionary position?"

"Well…yeah." She looked up at him and Luke grinned.

"What?" She asked, her interest piqued. Luke didn't reply. "Tell me?" she pressed. "Do you, Taylor and him sit around with a couple of beers and talk about sex?"

"No."

"Then what's making you smile like you know a big huge secret, Mr. Sawyer? Tell me or I'll sit on you and tickle it out of you."

"In the street?"

"Yeah, right here in the street!"

Luke kissed her, but Andrea pulled away from him.

"Oh no you don't, mister, that's you being evasive."

She pushed him up against her car.

"Tell me." She said.

"Only if you promise to tell me the bits of your life that you haven't told me before?"

Andrea nodded. "OK. Tonight."

"You know that we have that little box under the bed?"

"Yes."

"Well, they pretty much have a room full of that stuff. And he will likely fire my ass for telling you that."

Andrea was strangely quiet.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"I really can't work for him now."

"Why not?"

"Because… oh never mind."

"No…tell me."

"I…" Andrea went scarlet and dropped her head into her hands.

Luke smirked. "_Et tu,_ Andrea? _Et tu_?"

"Oh God, don't start. _Yes!_" She threw back her head. "Yes, OK. I admit it. Like most of his female workforce I have a thing for him. I've had it since the day I pitched up for the interview and even though I love you completely, it's hard to ignore him. He's just… _stunning_! And now you tell me he's some kind of…."

"Sex-God?"

"I did not say that!"

"No, but you were thinking it." Luke grinned.

"I can't work for him. I'll be scarlet all the time."

"Like your panties."

"Yep." Andrea shrugged in defeat. She looked at him. "I suppose you'll be going?"

"Where?"

"Away from me. Because I have a… thing for my boss."

"So what? You show me a girl at GEH that doesn't have a thing for the boss. But there's nothing you or any of them can do about it."

"I know. He's completely and utterly in love with Ana."

"And he would never look twice at you."

"Huh?" Andrea looked hurt. She didn't think she was that ugly.

"He doesn't go for blondes. Thankfully, I do."

"Oh…so that's OK then." Her comment was loaded with sarcasm.

"Especially blondes with scars that I want to kiss better."

Andrea took a breath. "It's very painful for me to talk about."

"I'm here." Luke took her hands. "I'll always be here."

Andrea snuggled into him. "Thank you."

"Now are you going to stop treating Mr. Grey like he's radioactive?"

"What and blush every time I see him?"

"You've done that every day since Emma was born, I doubt he'll notice the difference. You love your job, Andie, don't give it up."

"I'll think about it."

"And he's paying for our wedding."

"Yeah… about that."

"No. I'm not having you settling for here and then wishing you'd had your dream wedding in Lapland. We're going and that's final."

Andrea raised an eyebrow. "Are you ordering me around?"

"No. I'm making you stick to what you wanted in the first place. I know you. The problems only start when you over-think things."

She sighed and nodded.

"Are you going back to your Mom's?"

"Yes."

"OK. I'll finish up here and meet you over there."

"What do you need to finish?"

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you."

Andrea groaned.

"Hey, don't blame me, blame your friend for sending photographs to people who could do without the past coming back to haunt them."

Andrea's face hardened. "Penny saved my Mom's life and gave us sanctuary when there was nowhere else to go. All she's trying to do is help other women who might find themselves trapped in the same situation."

"This was hardly the same situation. Look, we're starting all over again. I'll see you at your Mom's."

Andrea stared into his eyes. "Treat Penny with respect, Luke. Please."

"I will." He kissed her and walked back to his car.


	26. Chapter 25

**A/N: **_In every story there's a chapter that you know will elicit the most polarised response. This, as far as I'm concerned, is that chapter. You're either going to hate me and not read another word - in which case thanks for putting up with me for the last 70,000 - or, you're going to love me and laugh your head off._

_I hope it's the latter, because that's what's intended here. But if you hate me, that's fine. The wonderful thing about Fan Fiction is that there will be another author who will be writing their story more in line with how you want it._

_But this is how I want it, because this is the way I roll. _

_R x_

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**Crowne Plaza Hotel, Seattle. 6.30pm, Saturday, July 18****th**

In the hotel suite Faye poured herself, Leila and Susannah a glass of champagne and handed a glass to each.

Susannah lifted hers. "A toast, to the Sub Club," she said quietly. "I hope this works."

"They all said they'd come," said Faye.

"This is going to be so weird." Leila downed hers in one and held out her empty glass to Faye, who looked at it in alarm. Leila shrugged. "If it's on him, then I'm getting my money's worth."

"Don't abuse his generosity." Faye said and refilled Leila's glass.

"He can afford a couple of bottles of champagne," said Leila. "Besides, he did say that Luke could spend whatever he needed to make sure each of us was OK and I'm taking him at his word. And, being pregnant, you're only having a little, so I'll drink your share."

"I'm sure Mr. Grey will be glad to hear that the Moët didn't go to waste," added Susannah sarcastically. "Be careful Leila. Does he know you're west of the Mississippi?"

"As Sawyer bought my airline ticket, I'm sure he doesn't consider me a danger to Mr. Grey or to Ana. And, let's face it; I'm here in the city when Mr. Grey is the man of the moment. Did you see his picture on the front of the _Seattle Times_ this morning?"

There was a knock at the door and all three women turned to stare at it. None of them moved.

"I guess one of us should get it?" said Leila.

"I'll go." Faye put down her glass and went to open the door.

"Hi, I'm Stacey," said the brunette at the door.

"I'm Faye, we spoke on the phone. Come in."

Stacey walked into the room and smiled nervously at the other women.

"It's great you could come," said Faye. "Let me introduce you. This is Leila. She was number twelve and this is Susannah, who was number fifteen. I was number one."

"I was number ten," said Stacey. "This is a great idea."

"Let me get you a glass of champagne," said Susannah.

There was another knock at the door and over the course of several minutes a succession of brunette-haired women arrived. Faye welcomed Carly, her successor and Bronwen who'd been number three. Jessica had been number four and Heather, number five. Janey, number six, was also pregnant and Eloise, number seven, broke down in tears of relief at finally being able to talk. Nikki number eight and Ola, number nine arrived together after spying each other getting out of red Audis. Joanna had been number eleven and Paula number thirteen. The group was completed by Erin, who had been Mr. Grey's fourteenth sub.

They each took their seats around a large, circular dining table. Leila wasted no time in drawing the analogy between them and Camelot's Knights of the Round Table.

"Good job there weren't just seven of us," quipped Erin. "I don't want to end up as the one being Dopey.

They all laughed and Faye nodded to Susannah.

Susannah stood up. "Through your conversations with Faye, you all know what, or more correctly who, links us together. Because of a couple of incidents, Faye and myself wanted to know that the rest of you were OK. We thought we could do that by forming a support group. The Sub Club. Some of us are finding it hard to disengage ourselves from Mr. Grey, whilst others have successfully moved on. The desire of all of us is to have happy and fulfilling lives away from Mr. Grey, in whatever sphere that might be."

"This is a great idea," said Nikki. "But I'd like to propose another name, if I could ask who else owns a red Audi A3?" Everybody but Leila put their hand up. "Seeing Ola on the way in, and then the other red A3s in the parking garage, that's what I thought. I'm not wild about the name the Sub Club – that's not what I am anymore. So how about calling ourselves the Red Audi Owner's Club?"

"Brilliant!" said Bronwen. "I adore my car! I'll drive her until the day I can no longer get spare parts… or gas."

"Because it was a gift from him, so you treasure it?" said Joanna. "I'll never part with mine, either."

"Neither will I," said Heather.

"I don't have mine anymore," said Leila. "I had to sell it."

"Do you think he bought his wife one?" asked Janey.

"He did," said Leila. "But I threw paint over it."

There was a gasp of horror from around the table.

Leila held up her hands. "In my defense, I was sick."

"So have you met Anastasia?" asked Carly.

"Briefly."

"What's she like?"

"You should ask Susie. She's friends with her."

Every pair of eyes turned to Susannah.

"Anastasia Grey is a friend of _yours?_" Erin's words echoed the disbelief of the others.

"Yes. We see each other a little."

"How does _that_ work?" questioned Erin.

"I don't know. But I think it's to do with how amazing Ana is."

"So why's she not here?" continued Erin. "I mean, why is she at the Convention Center tonight and not here as part of this group? How did she manage it?"

"I don't really know her that well," said Susannah. "But she's not from our world and I don't think it would ever have worked with anyone from our world. She was just a regular woman who turned up at his office to interview him."

"You mean that article the other week in the _Seattle Times_ Magazine was true?" Erin pressed.

"Yes."

"All we needed to do was say 'no'?"

"It isn't as simple as that." Susannah continued. "And this group isn't about him or Ana, it's about us. It's about support for us because we share a common bond. At least we can now be in contact with others who appreciate how we might feel."

"Has anyone had any contact with him since their contract ended?" asked Joanna.

"I treated his little boy a few days ago in the E.R." said Jessica. When he came through the door I felt like my heart would stop. He wasn't expecting to see me and I could see that he was anxious. He was getting uptight because his wife wasn't there and he couldn't get in contact with her. She arrived just as they were leaving and I think Mrs. Grey worked out what I had been. It was a little awkward."

There were nods of sympathy.

"I went to see him about something which was how all this got started." said Faye. "He was a lot different to how I remember him. We were both so young and he wasn't quite as controlling as I know he was with Susannah. I guess with me, he was still working out what he wanted."

"I went back to Escala for a party he was hosting," said Susannah "It hadn't really changed. It still looked more like an art gallery than a home. I even got to go in the playroom again. Just briefly."

"He still has it?" Erin asked.

"Yes. But it's changed a little. There's nothing in it to do with punishment."

"That's what made me leave," said Jessica. "I couldn't cope with him being so dark. Sometimes he scared me."

"Dark is the right word," said Ola. "For a beautiful man, he was very troubled."

"Do you ever remember him laughing, or smiling, even?" asked Susannah. Everyone shook their head. "I've seen him laugh. He was having fun, joking around with his sister-in-law and was just the most incredible thing. He was… transformed.

"Well that sounds like a good club policy to me. I say we go out and have some fun," said Eloise. "Let's get out there! Go places, meet up for meals and stuff. He's sure as hell not sitting at home missing us, so why should we miss him?"

"I'm with Eloise," said Carly. "Let's not waste this opportunity. Let's build something great off the back of our shared experience. Why don't we go down to Six Flags in California for a few days?"

"Oh my God, I haven't been to a theme park in like, forever. That would be a blast!" said Stacey.

"Yeah, if you're not pregnant," said Janey. "I guess I get to play coat-check girl?"

"I'll stay with you," said Faye. "We can talk diapers together."

"You're on," said Janey.

"So, who's up for going out to dinner and then we can plan it?" said Susannah. They all agreed.

"Perhaps we should all go stand outside the Convention Center and wave. He'll be arriving soon. I guess seeing all of us again in one place would give him a shock." laughed Joanna.

"No!" said Susannah. "This isn't about Christian Grey, this is about us. He's in the past, whatever we feel about him that time is over. And neither is this isn't about being envious of his wife. Nobody, but her truly knows what it takes to be Mrs. Grey. "

"I still want to know what she has that we don't," grumbled Heather.

Susannah fixed Heather with a look of assertion. "She has Christian Grey and they love each other. That's all anyone needs to know."

"But, you can't escape the basic facts that the guy's freaking hot, can make you come like a train and for a while there, we were all, _this_ close," said Heather. There were nods and murmurs from around the table.

"I know," said Susannah. "We all have Post-Grey Depression Syndrome. Why do you think we set up this support group? She eyed Heather benevolently. "Being with a guy like that can mess with your head and it's not been an easy journey to entangle myself from him. Some of you are much further down the road; with new Doms, in regular relationships or married, even. I'd like some support in getting what you have."

"I'll help you," said Janey, stroking her pregnant belly. "But I don't want to be with people who are out to cause trouble, so can we have a maxim that as far as Mr. Grey goes, that we look, but don't touch?"

"So, no change from normal then?" Eloise quipped. A gentle laugh went around the room. "What was with that no touching thing?" There were smiles from the women.

"I have a feeling that Ana Grey is the only one who can touch him," said Carly.

"I think you could be right," said Stacey, a gentle and a respectful silence descended on the women.

"Well, here's to mutual support in the Red Audi Owners' Club," said Carly lifting her glass of champagne and the others joined in the toast.

"So, dinner and planning Six Flags?" asked Leila.

"Sounds good to me!" said Erin. "Let's go."

The women left the suite and walked out into the sultry summer evening. As they walked by the Convention Center on their way to the restaurant, they couldn't help but look across at the arriving guests for the Network launch. But there was only a procession of shiny Mercedes cars arriving and not a black Audi SUV in sight.


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26  
Seattle Convention Center. 7.48pm. Saturday July 18****th**

He may be a little hazy on the time right now, but if Christian Grey knew anything it was that all was not OK with Ana. He'd begun to sense it a few minutes ago as they made the short journey from Escala to the Convention Center. There was an odd tension in her hand. He hadn't noticed it before. The short time elapsing between stepping off the plane from Singapore and getting into the car for the Seattle Business Network launch had been taken up by eating something, reading Teddy a bedtime story, saying goodnight to a sleepy Phoebe, throwing himself into the shower and then into his tuxedo. But there was nothing he could do about whatever it was now, because Taylor had drawn up outside the Convention Center. He'd have to wait until later.

The last few months had been tough. From the moment the bomb had gone off in Regent Street in London and swept Ana up into it, a similar bomb had gone off in their lives. Everything seemed to be conspiring against them. It had been a week since he'd seen her; but in that time she'd lost more weight, looked even more worried and drawn and Christian wished this damned first trimester would be over.

They'd been here before; he knew all about morning sickness that turned into all-day sickness and Ana feeling like she never wanted to eat again. So was this baby going to be another girl? Christian didn't mind what came out just as long as it got busy and let Ana keep some food down.

The tension in her was even more evident as he placed his arm around her and they walked through the small knot of reporters at the entrance. Ana never liked these red carpet things. To him she was perfect, but he knew some fashion or beauty editor would pick out some imagined flaw they'd seen in her face, her make up, her body or her choice of clothes and make a story out of it. Ana never read what they wrote about her, but Christian did. He made sure he read every article about her and noted every mention of her.

When they'd first been together the press had fallen over themselves to fête her. But now, four years later, having realized that she wouldn't give them what they wanted, they were less kind. The wives of the other CEO's turned out to all Seattle's social events in a raft of cutting-edge designer dresses and that was not Ana. It never ceased to amaze him that they hadn't worked out that she was thirty years younger than the other wives, ran her own company, was mom to two children under the age of four and might be a little too busy to spend her life on the party circuit. So when she did appear, like tonight, the paparazzi were out in force and so were the knives. Christian pressed Ana closer to him, stealing a last few precious seconds together before the inevitable separation.

"Congratulations Grey!" said Robert Lane, as they came through the door. He seized Christian's right hand and pumped his arm up and down.

"Thank you."

"Amazing deal! That's some boost for the Seattle economy with all the extra people you're going to need to hire."

Christian didn't miss a beat; he had a bone to pick with Lane. "Yes. I heard you lost one of your most talented attorneys. Perhaps she should come work for me?" He goaded.

"You don't want Susannah Moss, she's damaged goods. But if you want a bright, young attorney, I have a nephew who'd be just the thing. I'll send you his résumé."

Susannah was 'damaged goods'? What the fuck did Lane know about damaged goods? A man who was 'damaged goods' had just brokered a deal in Southeast Asia that had made his company half as big again. "Thanks, but no. I'll be looking for people with experience to join GEH."

"There's no substitute for getting them fresh from University and molding them into your own, Grey."

"That's not how I work." Not when it came to senior staff he didn't, but with his wife it had worked out unexpectedly well. "Let me send you his résumé anyhow. I'm sure he'd been an asset to GEH."

"I'll look forward to seeing it," a_nd pressing the delete key on it_, thought Christian, seeing Sylvie Vincenzi making her way through the crowd to him. He had only seconds left with Ana. He held her closer to him.

They looked at one another, tired grey eyes meeting sad blue ones. He'd make it a priority to discover what was making those eyes sad just as soon as he could get her back to Escala. He placed his lips close to her ear and pressed his cheek to hers.

"I have to go make a speech now," he whispered.

Ana pulled back to face him and nodded. "I'll find Kate and a quiet corner."

Over Ana's shoulder he caught sight of the rear view of Elena Lincoln and resolved that he and Ana would stay one hour and no more. This event was crawling with people he didn't want to share a planet with, let alone be in the same room as.

"Christian it's time," said Sylvie, greeting him with a kiss on both cheeks. She was wearing a dress that looked like she'd wrapped herself in gold tinfoil. Why would Ana in her classically-styled blue gown get ripped to shreds in the press and Sylvie held high as a beacon of style, even though it looked like she had been dressed by Rio Tinto Alcan? Perhaps he should buy the _Seattle Times_, fire the Fashion Editor and hire one that knew what good style was? "You must forgive me for stealing your husband, Ana." Sylvie continued. "I'll try not to make a habit of it."

Christian turned to Ana.

"Good luck." She said to him. "Not that you need it."

He ran a finger down her jaw. "We'll stay one hour, go home and then you can tell me why your eyes are unbearably sad."

Ana nodded and gave a forced smile.

He kissed her as close to her glossed lips as he could and then turned and followed Sylvie through the room, receiving congratulatory handshakes and backslaps as he went. He climbed the steps to the stage and stood to the side as Sylvie strode out into the spotlight to open the night's event.

As she spoke Christian scanned the room. To the left across the back he could see Ana picking her way slowly through the crowd towards Kate and Elliot who were stood more centrally. Jared Baker was here as was Mark Grainger, both finding solidarity in being _persona non grata_ together. Christian was surprised, but touched, to see that Edith Edwards had come. She was stood between her elder son Vincent, the new CEO of Edwards Corp. and Ted Gilbert. It was no wonder the room was packed. To have all six of them in a room together had brought out every business owner this side of Mount Rainier. Even Elliot had poured himself into a tuxedo and was here. He was stood next to Tony Statham, a property developer that Christian was in negotiations with. He knew that Elliot also wanted to work with Statham on some of his eco-projects. Christian had a proposal to put to his brother that Statham was involved with. He'd set up a meeting after the summer.

Amongst those he was less pleased to see was Elena. His scan of the room found her looking at him. On the far right of the room was Wayne Lincoln with his arms wrapped around Marnie Moore who was stood in front of him. Did that woman know what he was really like? How violent he could be? He wished she wasn't here this evening but he admired Elena's courage for being in the same room as a man who, on the night he'd found out about Christian and her, had stamped on Elena's leg so hard that he'd left a perfect boot mark on her thigh. That was in addition to breaking several bones and punching her repeatedly in the face. If Marnie Moore was after the dirt on the CEOs of Seattle, then she should look no further than the man who currently shared her bed.

Sylvie introduced Christian and to loud applause he approached the podium, his eyes locating Ana who was now stood by Kate. Seeing her gave him the strength to… Christian's composure was suddenly rocked by seeing Michael Xavier to Ana's right. He was casting a desiring eye over her. It took everything Christian had not to launch himself off the stage to protect his beautiful, precious wife from that odious snake!

He smoothly covered his lapse in concentration by taking a sip of water from the glass placed under the lectern and opening the document on his iPad containing his speech. He looked up and fixed his eyes on Ana. She was oblivious to Xavier's attentions and that was good. But the second this was finished he was going over there, even if he had to fight people off him to get to her. Ana meeting Xavier was not something he wanted to happen.

"Thank you Sylvie," he said, turning and bestowing on the tiny Italian woman a smile as dazzling as her gold dress. "And thank you to all of you for coming out this evening and showing your support for the business community of Seattle." He looked at Elliot who promptly pulled a face and stuck out his tongue. "Except the owner of Grey Construction. Who let him in?" From his place in the crowd Elliot flipped Christian the bird. Christian grinned and a ripple of laughter went through the crowd. He looked at Ana and was relieved to see she was laughing. Perhaps she'd simply had a tough week at work? Now that he had a cure for.

A little more relaxed he started his speech by paying tribute to Donald Edwards. Below him Vincent Edwards placed a supportive arm on his mother's shoulder.

He'd seen her stealthily traverse the room during his speech and it came as no surprise to him that Elena was waiting as he stepped from the stage. He turned away heading for Ana, but she side-stepped him and blocked his way.

"I only wanted to ask you a question," she said.

He turned, eyes boring in to her as if he was trying to vaporize her on the spot. "What? If you're looking for investment, the answer is no."

"You already said that. But I wanted to check whether you'd received the photographs, safely?"

"Which photographs?"

"The ones Xavier mailed? He found some more than should have gone to you."

Elena had Christian's full attention.

"No." He said.

"Oh." Elena had the decency to look worried. "I told him to send them Registered Mail. Even gave him the address of the house because he was going to send them to Escala. I haven't seen the envelope on his desk since, so I assumed he'd mailed it. It was a large brown one."

"No. I haven't seen anything from him. So are you telling me that extremely private photographs of me have gotten lost in the mail?"

"I hope not. Perhaps he took them home and forgot to mail them? You know what he's like."

Christian's lips thinned to a narrow line. "Well, I guess I'd better ask him," he said as he one again struggled to hang on to his composure where photographs were concerned. "Excuse me."

Christian turned to go. But Elena grabbed his arm.

"And congratulations by the way, on the deal. I take it that's what you've been working on?"

"Yes." He said tersely and plunged into the crowd.

Christian was almost blind and deaf to people as he made his way through the crowd to where Xavier was stood, patiently waiting for Ana to finish her conversation with Kate. That at least was a blessing. Xavier might have to wait all night for those two to stop talking. But still his hand was being clasped from both sides and his back had been slapped so many times he felt like he should at least bring up some wind for their trouble. His progress was slow and he hated all this giving of himself when he hadn't yet been able to give anything of himself to the only woman he wanted to give anything to.

As he got nearer to Xavier his anger started to increase and he also felt his growing need to hit something. Here would not be the place to confront Xavier, if indeed he'd mailed the photos. If he hadn't, then there were still things he wanted to say to the man out of earshot of anybody else. But before he confronted Xavier he needed to check on Ana. She was his priority.

He broke through the wall of people and finally reached Ana and Kate. Ana looked up at him and again he saw the pain in her eyes. They were getting out of here just as soon as he'd gotten some answers out of Xavier.

"Hey baby," he said, sliding to her side and kissing her cheek.

"Great speech," she said.

"Yeah," said Elliot squaring up to his brother with a grin on his face. "What I heard of it, anyhow. I went to the bar."

"I noticed."

"I thought it best to go before you turned into a minor deity from the adulation in the room. Anyone would think you'd cured cancer."

"That's my next trick." He gave a half-hearted grin. Christian turned to Ana. "We'll leave in ten. I just need to catch up with someone. I won't be long. Stay with Kate." Christian insisted. He turned to Xavier not realizing that his agitation and his choice of person to speak to, had not gone unnoticed by Kate.

"A word," Christian said, catching Xavier under the elbow and propelling him through the crowd and out into the lobby. The two men walked until Christian spied an exit and they went out into a quiet courtyard bathed in warm evening sunlight.

"I was hoping to be introduced to your beautiful lioness of a wife," said Xavier.

"That depends on your reply to this question," said Christian. "Did you mail me some photographs?"

"Yes."

"I never received them. So the answer's no."

"Oh, _fuck!_" Xavier clasped his hand to his head. "I'm s…" But the words didn't manage to get out before Christian's knuckles connected with Michael Xavier's jaw. It knocked him clean to the floor and Christian opened and clenched his fist repeatedly making sure everything in his hand still worked. He stood over the sprawling man.

"You fucking _idiot!_" Christian said in a low and dangerous tone. "Of all the things to put in the mail!"

"I sent them registered mail," he said weakly. "Elena gave me your address." Xavier sat up and rubbed his jaw.

"You didn't think to courier or even hand-deliver them to my office?"

"I didn't think you'd want them going to your office."

"Well I sure don't want them circumnavigating the fucking globe!" Christian paced about in front of him. "Do you _know_ how much shit you and your lackadaisical attitude to people's privacy have caused me? Are you aware that a big cache of those photographs have ended up in the hands of a group of fruit-loop Christians, who think it's fucking Christmas!"

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry."

"Oh, you will be sorry. Have you any idea of the scrutiny I'm under? If these photographs fall in to the wrong hands then everything I've achieved this week will be irrelevant. Nobody will ever remember it."

"Do you know who gave this group the photographs?"

"Not yet. I've been a little busy." Christian was sardonic.

Michael Xavier got to his feet as from behind them came the sound of a slow hand clap.

"Nice work Xavier, you've gotten the Boy Wonder in a tailspin. So, there _are_ photographs of you out there. I knew Christmas was coming."

Out from a corner came Wayne Lincoln, radiating smugness.

"What do you want?" snapped Christian.

"Oh, the contents of your bank account and a few rides on your wife. Fair's fair, don't you think, Grey?"

The bile rose in Christian's throat.

"And punching a fellow businessman. Not a good start to your term as President, is it? Are you sure no-one got a picture of that?" Linc took a few steps towards Christian. "So what do you say, Grey? Shall we settle on some adequate compensation, or do I go digging for what you've just confirmed exists?"

Off to the side came the loud click of a device and all three men turned to see Kate Kavanagh-Grey walking towards them.

"It's old but it still works," she said, waving the small silver digital recorder at them. "So what do you say, Mr. Lincoln? I've just captured you on tape blackmailing Christian Grey. There's no picture, but…. Oh, yes. Sorry, there is." She pulled out her phone.

"So are you fucking her too, Grey? I guess you are after that article she orgasmed out." Lincoln was sneering too much at Kate to notice Christian pull back his arm and land a punch on him. He comedically wheeled around like a Looney Tunes cartoon and fell to the floor out cold.

"Oops," said Kate. "Now you've done it."

Christian shook out his hand and then bent down and pressed his fingers against Linc's carotid artery. "He's fine. Unfortunately."

"He's going to press charges." said Kate.

"Let him," said Christian. "I've got lawyers and you've gotten him on tape trying to blackmail me."

"Hopefully. I forgot to add the word 'periodically' after the words 'it still works.' But I won't tell him that."

Christian stood up and turned to Michael Xavier. "As for you, I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do about you and these photographs."

"Nothing," said Kate.

"What?" said Christian, wheeling back around.

"Nothing. I know exactly where they are."

"Where?" said both Christian and Xavier together.

"They're at Escala."

"What?" Christian's brow produced a deep 'v' between his eyebrows.

"They were addressed to _Mrs._ Grey. I saw the envelope."

Christian's mouth fell open and Kate saw alternate flashes of rage and horror. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Oh my _God,_" he exhaled. "That explains so much." He paused for a moment and then turned to Xavier.

Michael backed away, his hands up in defense. "No, Mr. Grey, I swear I didn't do that. Elena wrote the address, I gave the envelope to her."

"It was her handwriting, Christian. Ana confirmed it at Donald Edwards' funeral. She saw Elena write something down."

"_Shit!_ No wonder she's so fucking unhappy!" Christian grabbed handfuls of his hair and almost tore it out.

Kate shook her head sadly. She knew there was far, far worse for Christian to hear tonight. "Go to her," she said softly. "I'll stay here until Linc comes round."

"At least she talked to you," he said. "But she lied to me." He said, in obvious pain.

"You've been so busy in the run-up to Singapore. She didn't want you to get mad and start hitting people. I wonder why she thought that?" Kate arched an eyebrow.

Christian gave a resigned scoff. "She knows me well."

Kate smiled. "She loves you too, although sometimes God know why. Whatever she's done, go easy on her."

Christian made to go back inside.

"Mr. Grey?" Said Xavier.

Christian turned back.

"About the other photographs…"

"Can we deal with this in a day or so? I _really_ need to see my wife."

"Sure."

As he walked away Christian flexed his hand and managed to text Taylor to bring the car. He'd pay for those punches tomorrow and so would Elena fucking Lincoln.

He walked back into the room and being as politely dismissive as he could to those who were still congratulating him, made his way back to Ana and Elliot. He could see Ana constantly scanning the crowd and she was a little startled when Christian appeared in front of her from seemingly nowhere.

He took her hands in his. Hoping she wouldn't notice how red his right one was.

"Let's go home," he said softly.

She nodded. "I should say goodbye to Kate."

"She won't mind. She's talking to someone right now."

"OK."

They took their leave of Elliot and hand in hand walked through the crowd to the exit.

The short ride home to Escala was silent. Christian was wrestling with emotions and Ana sat completely still, as if in meditation. Taylor drove smoothly through the streets. The sun was only now starting to set, bathing the whole city in gold. The car pulled smartly into the parking garage and drew up by the elevators. Taylor hopped out to open the door for Ana. Christian got out quickly and darted around the car to help her out.

The elevator was already there. They stepped in and Christian keyed in the number for the penthouse. He held Ana's hand and there was yet more silence as the elevator moved quickly up through the floors. His emotions and what he was going to say to her were in turmoil, but as he stood there beside her he began to tune in to her mood. Her silence was sorrowful, he could sense it. Ana wasn't remotely angry, but upset.

The doors opened into the foyer and they stepped out. Christian took her hand and started to walk towards the main room, but Ana didn't move. She stood rooted to the spot.

He looked at her. Her head was bowed as if in contrition and he was about to open his mouth and tell her that it was OK, he knew about the photographs; when she spoke.

"I lost the baby." She whispered.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Escala. 9.25pm. Saturday July 18****th**

Everything Christian was planning to say left his head and for several seconds his mouth soundlessly tried to form words, as it repeatedly failed to connect to the speech center of his brain. Ana continued to look at the floor and for a moment Christian felt as if he was hovering above himself. Seeing two small figures stood in a vast foyer, surrounded by a collection of Madonna and Child paintings. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? There was no way any words would make this better.

"I'm sorry," she continued.

He took her hand, feeling the pain momentarily as his hand folded around hers. He took a step towards her, reaching out hesitantly to wrap his left arm around her and pull her to him. She came to him, head still bowed and fitted herself to his body in the place she so perfectly occupied. It was as if she had been specially molded to fit him. His arms wrapped around her and he held her. He didn't know what to say about the baby, but one thing needed to be said about her.

"I love you." He breathed.

"I love you too."

"We'll get though this."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

They stood there for several minutes holding one another and swaying slightly. The main door opened and Gail Taylor stuck her head around the door.

"Oh, sorry!" She said.

"No it's OK, Gail," said Christian softly, looking up.

"Is there anything I can get you?" She asked.

"Ana?" asked Christian. She lifted her head off his chest. "Anything you want? Tea? Bath? A glass of wine?"

"A glass of wine, please." She whispered.

"Coming right up," said Gail.

"Shall we go in?" whispered Christian? Ana nodded and keeping an arm around her they slowly walked into the living room.

"I'll check on the children and get changed," said Ana.

"Do you want some help?" He asked.

"No, I'll be back out in a minute."

"OK."

Ana took a couple of steps away.

"Ana?"

She turned back to him.

"Bring that envelope you were sent."

She nodded and walked off in the direction of their bedroom.

On the breakfast bar Gail filled two glasses with chilled Sauvignon Blanc.

"When did it happen?" He asked.

"Wednesday afternoon," said Gail. "While she was at the funeral. Belinda took her straight to the hospital, but it was too late."

"And nobody thought to call me?"

"Ana said she'd do it, but she's… not been great since then. I'm sorry you've had to come home to this. It wouldn't have been an easy thing to tell you."

"No. It's not been an easy thing to hear." Christian took a sip of wine.

"Do you need anything else?" asked Gail.

"No thanks."

"The children have been fine."

"Good."

"I'll leave you to it, then."

"Thanks Gail. And thanks for looking after Ana."

"I didn't do anything. I'll let her tell you that bit."

"Oh, Christ," he sighed, "More things I don't know. Anything else while you're at it?" He added a little sarcastically.

Gail gave him a weak smile. "I think these were extenuating circumstances. It's been a rough few days."

"It's been a rough few months."

Gail nodded her agreement. Her husband came in through the door. "If you need anything you know where we are."

"Thanks," said Christian.

With Jason and Gail heading to their rooms, Christian picked up his wine and wandered over to the window, looking out at the skyline of Seattle. The sky was still fairly light and below him people were out on the streets of the city making the most of the warm summer night. He felt numb from Ana's disclosure and it had pole axed his desire to take her to task for failing to tell him about the photographs. His question of she could she keep them from him had been answered by him punching the man who had sent them to her.

The pad of bare feet on wood announced Ana's arrival back in the room and Christian walked back to the breakfast bar. She was in one of his t-shirts and a pair of sleep shorts. Her face was clear of make-up and her hair was tied back with a simple ponytail band. In her hand was a large brown envelope. She handed it to him.

"It seemed best to leave this until after you'd come back." She sat on one of the stools and took a sip of wine.

Christian put down his glass and looked at the envelope. He noticed the gym stamp and the DK under it, Xavier's code for the contents. Private and Confidential was written above it in Elena's handwriting, as was the address of their house – he was unsurprised that she knew it. He looked at the cause of all the trouble - the offending first line. Mrs. Grey. No doubt about it, it was definitely addressed to Ana. But the writing didn't match. Grey was definitely written by Elena, her huge looping G was very distinctive. But Mrs. was written in the slightly spiky hand of Xavier. Had she noticed what he'd done and not corrected it? Had Xavier added the 's' after Elena had written the address for some mischief of his own – he'd certainly been casting a desiring eye over Ana this evening. So it was with Xavier that he'd need to pursue this for causing Ana such distress. He looked at the date stamp. June 26th.

"When did you get this?" He asked gently.

"The day Ted broke his arm."

"The Monday?" He did the math. "Twenty days? You've kept this to yourself for twenty days?"

She gave an imperceptible nod.

"Oh Ana!" He groaned.

"I didn't want you to hit anyone."

"Well, I did. The guy who mailed them."

"Did Kate tell you?"

"She told me that you were the one that had them. Quite how your name ended up on it is a question that only Michael Xavier can answer. He was the one who mailed them."

"Not Elena?"

"No. Although that's her handwriting, from Grey onwards. The Mrs. is written in Xavier's hand."

"I don't know him."

"I don't want you to know him."

"Why would he do that to me?"

Christian pursed his lips. "You're a very desirable woman. My guess is that he was hoping you'd storm down to the gym demanding answers and in deploying his charm – such as it is - he'd be able to worm his way into your panties. The man's a snake."

"And you punched him?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Christian raised an eyebrow. "It's unlike you to be so vengeful."

"It's been… tearing me apart," she admitted.

Christian put his head on one side. "This is not the time for me to take issue with you about keeping things from me."

"I didn't know what to say. And then as it got nearer to you going to Singapore and me to New York and Moore was crawling over everything that moved, it became about it not being the right time to tell you. I wanted us to be able to do _this_. I didn't want you to blow up the world."

"I can see the sense in that. But I still wish that you'd told me the same day. I could've saved you from a lot of pain."

"I know." Ana said, in a barely audible whisper.

"I take it you looked at them?"

She nodded.

"So that would explain the 'it's you' comment that you made to Faye?"

"Yes."

"Faye thought it was because you'd recognized her from the Deli a few days before. She'd stood next to you when you were picking up your office lunch order."

"I didn't recognize her."

"It doesn't matter." He picked up the envelope. "But I think there's only one thing to do with these, don't you?"

"Shred them?"

Christian nodded then put the envelope back down. "Back in moment."

He walked quickly through the apartment to the security room and to the alcove that contained his safe. On his BlackBerry he located the code, keyed it in and from it extracted a box of similar photographs that should have been shredded years ago. He returned back to the kitchen and picked the envelope up off the counter.

"Do you want to help me?"

Ana nodded and followed him into the study.

Christian peeked into the envelope and then turned it over extracting the pictures face down. He took them over to the shredder. "Would you like to do this?"

She nodded. Ana took the first photograph, placed it in the slot and watched as the fierce mechanism cut it up into countless pieces. She fed each one through. When they were done Christian turned to the box that contained the photographs of all of them.

"Do you want to do these too?"

"Please."

He took off the lid, the pictures were already face down and he handed them to her one by one as Ana fed all fifteen pictures into the shredder.

"Strangely satisfying." He said as the last one met its pulverization.

"I wish you'd done it years ago."

"I know." He said sadly. "And I'm sorry."

Ana perched on his empty desk, Christian sat down beside her.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you," said Christian. "You know back in New York when I told you that Sawyer was updating the women's files and that Faye was finding out if they were OK?"

"Yes."

"Well, Susannah told her the idea about the… sub club… thing and Faye thought it was a good idea, for them to form a support group. She asked if they could all meet up. I said yes and it's taken place tonight at a hotel in the city."

Ana sat there with her head bowed and said nothing. And then her shoulders increasingly began to shake.

He went to put his arms around her, in anguish that he'd caused her even more upset. "Ana, I'm…"

A bubble of laughter escaped her and there was a look of incredulity on her face. Christian was taken aback by her smile.

"I can't wait to see the support group bumper stickers. Will they say 'Laters baby?'" Ana chuckled. "If they do I'm going to ask for one."

"Glad you find it funny." Christian said, a little hurt.

She shoved him with her elbow and smirked. He shoved her back. She did it again a little harder and he shoved back a little harder, causing her to grasp the edge of the table. She was grinning and although it was totally and utterly incongruous, he was suddenly glad that she found it funny, because his Ana was back. The sparkly-eyed, smiley Ana; not the stressed-out, tightly-wound, distant version that had been here for at least the last twenty days.

"So you don't mind?"

"No. The idea's been kicking around for years. I'm just glad it's finally out there."

Something about her demeanor seemed a little off. Christian narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do I get the impression that you're in control?"

"You're very quick." She said lightly and got up off the desk.

Ana walked out of the office and back into the kitchen. Christian followed her. She took a sip of wine.

"It's like having a spider in the room," she said. "… although this one has fifteen legs. If you can see it and you can see which way it's running, it's less of a worry than if you can't see it. This way they are out in the open. I know their names, I know their faces and I know that Susie will keep them in check."

Christian snickered. "Oh, you're…"

"A control freak? Well all yours had to go somewhere."

Christian took a sip of his wine. "So does this make you their Domme?"

"No. Just a wife who's a little less stressed about it." Ana closed her eyes and stood silently for a moment exhaling deeply.

"Shall we go sit in bed?" He asked.

Ana nodded.

Christian secured the apartment and turned out the lights whilst Ana took their wine glasses to their room.

When he reached it Ana had made a nest for them both out of more pillows then he had a clue they possessed. She was reclining back against them. He'd already undone his bowtie and top button, but off came everything else and he slung the whole lot in the laundry.

His hand was starting to hurt and it was the first thing Ana inspected when he slid in beside her, resting back against the bank of fresh, white pillows. There really was no place like your own bed.

"Ow!" He griped as Ana pressed a particularly tender knuckle.

"It's swelling up. You should put some ice on that."

"I will, later. My body clock's all over the place so I'm sure I'll have lots of opportunity to nurse it with an ice pack at 3am. Speaking of nursing…" Ana folded herself into him, tucking herself under his right arm. She stroked his chest.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Strange. I can laugh, but I can't cry. Nothing comes."

Christian stroked her back. "Give it time."

"I'm so tired. I feel like I've gone twenty rounds with… whoever the current Heavyweight Champion of the World is. I went back down to Vancouver, to our old apartment on Green Street. Took Ted and Phoebe and holed up for a couple of days."

"You ran away?"

"No. I went to hide and lick my wounds."

"Why did you go there?"

"It's a happy place."

"And your happy place isn't anywhere with me?"

"This is my happy place. Here with you. But I'm struggling with all that surrounds you. And, if you think about it, when I was in Green Street, all it was, was me and you. A room, a bed…"

"Some wine…"

"Yes, some wine." Ana stretched over for hers and took a sip. "Did we do ice cream there?"

"No, that was the other place."

She smiled. "I just wanted something that was simple and straightforward. Not having to run the universe all the time. So I took the children with me and we hung out for a couple days and had some Mommy and children time. I took them to Clayton's. Guess who made a bee-line for the chains."

Christian chuckled.

"We've got a handful there and no mistake," said Ana.

"I've got a handful here." Christian pulled her tighter to him. "I think Dr Trevelyan would concur with my diagnosis that what you need right now is a damn good sleep, breakfast in bed and possibly lunch in bed too."

"I need some time with you. I need lots of time with you."

"OK, well I'll stay in bed with you."

"Do you think Gail and Jason would have Ted and Phoebe for the day?"

"I'm sure they would."

"I just want to spend the day in bed with you. Not that I'm up to doing anything, but I just need to sleep and talk and touch you."

"I need to do the same. Now sleep."

Christian turned out the lights and propped up on the bank of pillows he held Ana as she settled down to sleep.

"Don't let me go." She murmured.

"I won't, baby." He said softly and kissed her hair.

Above her, tears for his lost child fell from Christian's eyes.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**The Seattle Times. 10.25am, Monday, July 20****th**

Kate nearly ripped Josh Hewlett's door from its hinges in her hurry to leave his office. _"Bastard,"_ she muttered under her breath. To her right the smug bitch that was Marnie Moore feigned disinterest and continued typing. Kate suddenly had the overwhelming urge to punch the other half of Seattle's poison pair.

"Kate," grumbled Hewlett appearing in his doorway. "There's no need to act like a spoilt kid denied her allowance."

"It's a great idea for a column. No one else is doing it."

"Sex tips for long-established couples, really isn't what the _Seattle Times_ is about."

"No? Oh, that's right. On recent form it's about the tawdry sex lives of the rich and famous."

"Exactly. Now if you could get those sex tips from the rich and famous, and not your drunk girlfriends, you might be onto something and I'll reconsider."

"They're not from my drunk girlfriends, they've been tried and tested by experts."

"Yeah? That's what worries me - where the hell you're getting your information from."

Kate straightened up and lifted her chin, reminding herself of the advice of her mystery masked man. He was right, she instantly felt both confident and sexy. "So you're uneasy with me getting sex tips from experts, but not with Marnie getting sex secrets out of dumpsters. Is it possible that you're unaware of the word 'hypocrite'?"

"Marnie is doing this in the public interest."

"Josh!" Neal Jameson shouted across the newsroom. "Reports of a robbery at the Olivian. The Penthouse."

"OK. Follow it up. Take Felix or Scott with you." He looked to Felix's desk. "Where the fuck is Felix this morning?"

"Olympia," said Marnie.

"What's he doing down there?" asked Josh.

"His Gran died last night. He called early this morning. I left a note on your desk."

"Oh. Did you? Thanks Marnie."

"You're welcome. And thanks for the column."

Kate's eyes bugged. "You gave it to _her?_" She looked at Josh Hewlett but he was ignoring her. She swiped him on his arm. "You gave the fucking column to _her?_" She screeched.

Josh pointed at the door. "Calm down, or get out! Hers was the better pitch."

"What's it about? Dumpsters I have known?"

Marnie stood up and fixed Kate with a 'fuck you' state. "Alternative lifestyles. You know; swingers, the polyamorous, BDSM, whatever Seattle does in the shadows I'll write about it."

"So why's that better than sex tips for couples?" Kate asked Hewlett.

"What you want to write about is embarrassing. What Marnie wants to write about is interesting."

"What? When did sex between two people who love each other and are committed to one another become embarrassing?"

"Right when he stopped getting it." said Scott, walking by. A chuckle went around the newsroom that Josh did not appreciate.

"Oh very funny." Hewlett retorted. "For that you can get your ass down to the Olivian. Do we know who has the Penthouse there?" Josh looked around the room at his team. They were all shaking their heads. "Anyone?"

"Elena Lincoln, the owner of the Esclava beauty chain." said Marnie.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer woman," Kate muttered and then gave a laugh. "If she still has them tied up in her apartment then she might give them a Brazilian."

All the men in the newsroom suddenly screwed up their faces in pain. Kate looked at them in amusement.

"What? Not got the balls for it?" she smirked. Kate could almost hear ten pairs of male thighs pressing together.

She walked to the window, looking out at the city melting under yet another insanely hot day. She was still seething from Hewlett's decision. Kate looked at the bank of TVs and at the one set to the Weather Channel, where Thursday's forecast was for the heat to break with a storm. In the pit of her stomach she knew that as Wayne Lincoln was still on Christian's trail, they weren't out of the woods yet.

**xXXx**

In his bathroom at Grey House, Christian splashed his face with water. It didn't make him feel any better. He yanked off his tie, dragged his shirt off over his head and splashed his body and underarms with cold water. He stood there, arms braced on the counter top either side of the basin, oblivious to the water soaking into the waistband of his pants. He was burning up. This was no time to succumb to something; he had too much to do. There was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened and Olivia peered around it.

"Luke Sawyer's here to see you."

"I'll be out in a moment. Ask him to take a seat."

"Yes, sir." Olivia shut the door again.

Christian waited another few seconds and then grabbed a towel off the rail to dry himself. He kicked his shirt into the corner of the room and went over the closet but there wasn't a fresh one to be had.

He yanked open the bathroom door, strode through his office and into the reception area.

"Get me a clean shirt!" He bellowed at Olivia.

She was in the process of sitting down and in her shock at his appearance, missed her seat.

"Yes, Mr. Grey." She said from the floor behind the desk.

Christian slammed the door and strode back into his bathroom, pulling on a white t-shirt instead.

He walked back to his desk. Luke Sawyer was sat in one of the chairs in front of it. Christian collapsed into his.

"I was so sorry to hear the news about Mrs. Grey at our morning meeting."

"Thanks. If my mother, Mia and Kate are the Holy Trinity of Inquisition; then my wife, Gail and Prescott are their opposite number. Getting State Secrets out of the Pentagon would be easier than getting information out of those three, it would seem."

"How is Mrs. Grey?"

"Not great. She's doing that insane thing of carrying on regardless, which drives me nuts. She needs a vacation, desperately and so do I. But we at last have one planned for next month. Bit of an odd coincidence. I couldn't sleep most of Saturday night, jet lag and thinking about all that Ana's been through over the last few weeks. So I called a friend of ours, Charles Henderson in London about getting their place in Cornwall for a couple of weeks. That place we went to back in February that Ana fell in love with?"

"Yes."

"Well, he'd given it to Sophie as part of their divorce settlement and she'd sold it. He told me he'd call her and find out whether the new owners would let us have it for a few weeks. Sophie called me back about a half hour later and told me that it was Ana who'd bought it only the day before." Christian smiled wryly. "Great minds think alike. I'm still a little stunned that she bought something costing millions. She baulks at buying a dress at four figures."

"I wish Andrea would baulk at buying a dress at four figures," grumbled Luke. "I swear that woman has a black-belt in shopping."

Christian snickered. "If she comes back I'll raise her salary. I take it you've wrapped it up and have something to report?

"Yes. The photographs were taken from the filing cabinet by a woman called Tracey Wade, a former girlfr… um…" Luke faltered.

"Sub?" supplied Christian.

"Er… yeah, sub of Donny Brisco, whom I believe you know?

"Vaguely."

"She's the one currently residing at the safe house on Mercer Island after things between them started to get vicious. She appears on the membership list at the Devil's Kitchen, although it's been some time since she attended."

"She's not someone I know. Thank you, Luke. I appreciate the work you've done on this."

"And all your personal files are updated with their current whereabouts and family situations."

"Thanks. Do you know how Saturday night went?"

"Fine," said Luke, a little too quickly.

Christian raised an eyebrow.

Luke looked a little embarrassed. "They were ejected from a male strip joint after they started coaching the guys and broke its no touching policy."

Christian laughed. "Does she realize that she's unleashed a monster?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Nevermind. So how's Andrea? I don't suppose there's any chance of a miracle and her coming back to work for me? Olivia is an improvement on Megan, but she's still not up to Andrea's standard."

"I don't know. Nothing's changed right now." Sawyer shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was most unlike him to be restless and Christian noticed.

"What's the matter?"

"Do you know anything about Andrea's family?" Luke asked.

"Not much. Just that it's pretty much her and her Mom. Parents divorced when she was little."

"Has she ever told you why?"

"No. I don't think I've ever heard her mention her father." Christian saw uncharacteristic distress in Luke's face. "Is there something the matter with Andrea's father?"

"No. He's out of the picture and she wouldn't want him back in her life, anyhow. Thing is, during the course of my inquiries, I discovered something about Andrea that I didn't know and it explains why she's been behaving a little oddly towards you of late."

"A _little_?" Christian smirked and then he became serious. "Does she have links to Azurelight Ministries?"

"Yes. Andrea's father physically, sexually and emotionally abused her mother and physically abused Andrea. Azurelight, specifically Penny Squire, took them in when Andrea's Mom fled the house after a particularly horrific beating. Andrea was eight at the time."

Christian's eyes were wide. "Oh my God…" He said softly. "And you didn't know?"

"No. She's never told me. Unsurprisingly she doesn't want to talk about it, but she finally opened up to me on Saturday night." Luke shifted in his seat again and Christian could tell that this was a difficult subject for him to talk about. "Asshole stubbed his cigarettes out on what would become her breasts. Told her that they were her evil things, given to women for the single purpose of leading men into sin and he was doing her a favor." Sawyer wiped a sudden tear from his eye. "She's always been a little guarded about being undressed and told me the marks were insect bites that got infected. She finally admitted to me what they really were and if I ever meet that man I'll put a bullet in him!" Sawyer wiped away another tear. "It's hard to understand why anyone would do that to a child."

Christian nodded. He better than most could understand what Andrea had gone through. "I'm so sorry."

"Anyhow. That's the background to why she reacted to you as she did."

Christian gave Sawyer a questioning look. "I don't follow?"

"She reacts strongly to violence against women, as you might expect."

"Yes."

"Sir, you have a photo album in the bottom drawer of your desk, and the evening she came in here to delete the files she sneaked a peek at it."

Christian dropped his head into his hands. "Oh… Jesus." He sighed." Knowing what was in there. He pulled open his bottom drawer and pulled out the album.

"She doesn't differentiate between beating and spanking. To Andrea it's all hitting women and that's why she won't come back."

"Photographs." Christian sighed. "Right now I wish the damned things had never been invented."

"Yes. I'm only glad that these days there's such a thing as a delete button."

"I'd like to press the delete button on twelve years of my life." Christian looked at Sawyer. "Do you think Andrea would let me talk to her?"

"I hope so, but I couldn't guarantee that she would."

Christian checked his schedule. "Is she in tomorrow?"

Sawyer checked his BlackBerry. "Yes, as far as I know."

"Would you mind if I dropped by? Take one last shot at getting her back? Try and convince her than I'm not beating the crap out of Ana."

"No, I don't mind. Do you want me to be there?"

"It's up to you. Do you trust me with your nearest and dearest?"

"As you trust me with yours, I think I can extend the same courtesy to you, Mr. Grey."

"Thanks."

"But don't be surprised if she cries. She did a lot of it yesterday. I think she finally acknowledged that she's ignored the hurt for too long."

"That, at least, is the first step in making it better."

Sawyer shrugged. "I hope so." He said. His voice cracked.

"I know so." said Christian.


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**Warehouse Apartments, 10.17am, Tuesday July 21****st**

Christian knocked on Andrea's door. He smiled to himself. He could hear her chattering away to Emma on the other side of it.

"Mommy's going to see who's at the door!" He heard her say and watched as an eye appeared at the spyhole. There was silence for several seconds and then the chain was drawn back and the door handle turned. Andrea opened it a little way and stood in the gap.

"Hi" said Christian. "May I come in?"

Andrea bit her lip, nodded and opened the door wider, stepping aside to let her boss in. She was dressed in grey sweatpants and a white vest top. A muslin cloth was slung over her shoulder. Her thick blonde hair was twisted up into a messy knot several tendrils of which were escaping. She shut the door and walked back over to where Emma was, reclining in a bouncer.

"How are you?" He asked.

"Fine." She said curtly.

"And Emma?"

"Fine."

"Well that's mighty fine." He raised an eyebrow but Andrea ignored his sarcasm. "Can we talk?"

"We seem to be doing that. Do you want to talk about anything specific?" Andrea crouched down to dab a posset of milk from her daughter's mouth.

"I want to talk about the photographs you found."

"Are you here to try and convince me that you don't hit your wife?"

"Andrea." Christian exhaled sadly. "It's really not like that."

She stood up and looked him straight in the eye. "Strike, cuff, smack, knock, whack, bash, bang, thump, thwack, punch, buffet, slap, swat, bludgeon, club, smite, spank, thrash, beat, pummel, batter, flog, scourge, birch, cane, lash, flagellate, whip, clobber, wallop, clout, sock, clip, paste and bat. All of them are in my Thesaurus as synonyms of the word hit. I know them all. So you're here to admit that you spank your wife? But in that list is the evidence that it's just another expression for hitting her. Why do you hit her?"

"I don't hit her. I spank her."

"It's just comes down to force. You're still striking her skin with the palm of your hand. So I want to know why you do it."

"It's arousing. Andrea, it's complicated."

Andrea gave a huff. "It's complicated. The stock answer for anyone who's cornered." She walked into the kitchen area and started putting things away off her drainer. "You know, Mr. Grey, you used to be the gold standard when it came to men, and to my eternal shame I idolized you and wanted to do my best for you. And now it turns out that you're no better than the lowlife who donated his sperm to make me. I'm no prude; I know that some men find it arousing to spank a woman. But if you're doing that, what happens if one day she does something that really upsets you and you're so used to swinging your hand to her that it just _happens_. You hit her across the face because you're really mad at her. Or you're angry when you spank her and hit her a bit harder and don't stop even when she begs you too." Andrea dragged in a ragged breath. "Or when it stops being about getting yourself sexually aroused and becomes the way you take out your frustration about the world, about your job, about the way she never does what you want her to. And all you keep saying is _'what's the problem, honey you've always let me spank you before'._"

Before his eyes Andrea was becoming distressed.

"Then perhaps the spanking's not enough to get you going, so you start hitting her with a cane or your belt… or."

"Enough." Christian held his hand up. "I get your point. Andrea, I'm sorry for what you went though as a child. Luke told me. And I'm here to tell you that I understand."

"Ha! What can you _possibly _know of what I went through? You grew up in a home with two parents who loved each other."

"More than you think." It was overly warm I the apartment and Christian removed his jacket and hung it on the back of one of the dining chairs, loosened his tie and undid his top button. He walked into the kitchen area and leaned against a counter. "What do you know of me, Andrea?"

"What?" She was confused.

"Not the professional stuff. Me. Before Ana came along what did you know about me?"

"Your birthday is June 18th ?"

"Correct."

"Your favorite color is blue?"

Christian smirked. "Of all the things you could mention, but yes."

"Um…" Andrea stalled.

"Is that it?"

"Pretty much."

Christian laughed.

"What?" Andrea protested. "You weren't exactly known for giving much away!"

"And why do you think that was?"

"Because there was nothing to tell?"

"Nothing that I wanted to tell anybody, no. You know that I see John Flynn regularly."

"Yes."

"And that he's not a man I go out for a beer with?"

"Yes."

Christian took off his tie and laid it on the counter. "Andrea, I can talk to you forever about why I understand what you went through. So I'm not going to say a word. I'm just going to show you."

Christian undid his cuffs, pulled his shirt out of his pants and started to unbutton it as Andrea grew increasingly wide-eyed, pink-cheeked and didn't know where to look. He took it off and tossed it onto the counter. He stood closer to her and with his left hand, pointed in turn to every one of the white circular marks on his chest and then he slowly turned around. "I have some on my back too."

He waited a few seconds, slowly turned back to face a stunned Andrea, picked up his shirt and put it back on.

"You are the sixth person who knows about this. The others are Ana, my parents, John Flynn and my Physician. Not even Elliot and Mia know exactly what these marks are. So, when you say I can't possibly know what you went through, now you know that I can.

"I understand completely why you have such a strong reaction to physical violence towards women and I appreciate that you don't make the distinction between what your father did and what Ana and I do on a consensual basis.

"I'm not saying this to guilt you into coming back and I am not going to buy you back with bribes of money. I am simply laying all my cards out on the table one final time. I want you to come back and work for me, Andrea. There is no one who does things entirely the way I like them, apart from you. But yes, in your eyes, I hit my wife. If you come back I will continue to hit my wife when we feel it's something we want to do.

"I will need your answer by July 31st at the latest, because if you're not coming back I'll need to start the painful job of looking for your permanent replacement." Andrea was glassy eyed as he spoke. "Do you understand?"

She nodded.

He left his shirt hanging loose. "Well, that's all. I'll leave you in peace, now." Christian grabbed his tie, went over to the dining chair and picked up his jacket. He went to the door and opened it. "If you say no, then I just want to say that it's been a pleasure." He kept his face as neutral as he could make it. "Goodbye Andrea."

"Goodbye." She replied.

He paused for her to say more, but nothing came. So he stepped out into the hallway, closed the door behind him and walked away. All he could do now was wait.

**xXXx**

It had apparently been a lot of mess for nothing. They hadn't taken a thing. Not her jewelry, her computer, TV or anything else from the thousand and one things she had in this apartment. If anything, the break in had made it imperative to Elena that she declutter. She wasn't going to tidy this much mess up ever again. But now, whilst she was filing her invoices, she noticed what was missing and realized that trashing her apartment had been a ruse. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were after and had probably gotten it within seconds. It was the photograph of her and Christian, which she'd placed in a glossy black wallet and carefully filed halfway back in an unmarked suspension file. The blood in Elena Lincoln's veins solidified.

She stumbled to her purse and fumbled around in it looking for her address book. She found it and opened it up at 'G'. She grabbed her phone from its cradle and methodically pressed in the number that she used to call so frequently. She kept making mistakes in her anguish, having to hang up and start again. Her doorbell chimed and she looked at her watch, the Insurance Assessor was early. She put down the phone and went to the door, opening it to reveal not the expected Max Brown, the Assessor from Channing Associates, but the grinning, hateful face of her ex-husband, holding the missing picture of her and Christian. There was an impressive purple bruise along his jawline.

"Looking for this?" He asked, forcing his way through the partially opened door. "I think it's time to call Mr. Grey and play 'Let's Make a Deal,' don't you?"


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**Seattle Times. 6.15pm. Thursday July 23****rd**

"Got him!" Marnie Moore slammed down her phone. "Woohoo!" she crowed. "Where's Scott?"

"Out," said Tyler. "He's down on Thirty Fourth."

"Call and ask him to meet me at MXSport Gym on Rainier Business Park. Hewlett, pull everything off the front page, I'll get you a new one!"

"OK." He called.

Kate held herself in check and looked up from her screen, as Moore sailed past like a galleon on the high seas in her floaty blue chiffon dress, grinning like a Cheshire Cat with extra cream. As the office went back to a dull murmur she tried to settle back to writing her article, but she knew, deep in the pit of her stomach, that Marnie's exultation was nothing but bad news for Christian. It was Thursday evening and Christian was supposed to be at the Yacht Club Regatta Meeting, Ana had told her only this morning that that's where he'd be. So Kate had made a call to the club. He wouldn't be. He had never been part of the committee. He was telling lies. She thought of the unsettlingly-familiar masked man down at the Devil's Kitchen and her stomach gave a lurch. _No, please._ Kate pleaded. _Don't let him be back there_. It would break Ana's slowly recovering heart.

She needed to call someone. But who? Warn Christian not to go and tell him she now knew for a fact that he was lying to Ana? Warn Ana that she feared they were on to him? Grab Susannah and high-tail it down there and try and intervene herself? She settled on calling Christian. His cell went straight to answerphone. She called his office direct, but there was no reply. She tried Olivia.

"Good evening, Mr. Grey's office, Olivia Lucas speaking."

"Olivia, it's Kate Grey. Where's Christian?"

"He's left for the day. Have you tried his cell?"

"Yes, it's going straight to answerphone."

"I'll take a message if you like?"

"No, it's OK. I'll call Ana."

Kate hung up and dialed Ana's direct number. Hannah picked up.

"I'm sorry, she's in a meeting right now. Can I give her a message?"

"Yes. Tell her I'm on my way over. Don't let her leave before I get there. Tell Claire I'm coming." Kate shut down her computer and sprinted from the office.

She ran to her car and as she exited the parking garage, tires squealing, she couldn't help but notice the deep gray storm clouds that were massing over the city. As she drove she repeatedly called Scott, but kept getting the busy signal on his phone. She glanced again at the clouds. From the sight of it, it wasn't just Christian's life that would burst tonight.

Kate ran through the door of Grey Publishing where Claire had a visitors' pass all ready. She grabbed it, bolted through the doors, ignored the elevator and ran up the four flights of stairs. She arrived in a somewhat breathless state, but composed herself before stepping through the door into Ana's domain - Grey Publishing's fiction department. Hannah rose from her seat to meet her.

"Ana's still in a meeting. Take a seat."

"I need to speak to her as a matter of urgency and it's personal. Please would you tell her that?"

"OK." Hannah picked up the phone and called Ana. About half a minute later Ana's office door opened and out of it came Andrea Parker, followed by Ana.

"If you need to talk more, Andrea, give me a call. "As I said, if he's told you that, then you are very special to him indeed. But in the end it's your decision."

"Thanks." said Andrea. Ana kissed her cheek. Andrea gave a small smile to Kate before rushing away.

"What was that all about?" asked Kate following Ana back into her office and closing the door.

"Andrea has a decision to make and she was asking my advice about a personal matter."

Kate waited for Ana to explain further, but she didn't. "Care to fill me in?"

"No. It's personal. So what can I do for you, coming in here looking like you've run the Seattle Marathon."

Kate sat down in a chair and took a deep breath. "Where's Christian this evening?"

"He's at the Yacht Club, I told you. Why?"

"He's not." Kate said sadly. "He's not on the Regatta organizing committee. He never has been. Call them yourself if you don't believe me."

"Then where is he?" Said Ana, suddenly full of trepidation.

"Oh, Ana. It's checkmate. You're going to need your house in England." Kate watched as Ana's mouth slowly dropped open and her face visibly lost its color before her eyes.

"What?" She gasped.

"Marnie's got him. Looks like he's down at the Devil's Kitchen."

_"No."_ In that one word Kate could hear the knife stabbing deep in Ana's soul and she looked as if she was fighting to keep breathing. "Take me down there." She managed to say.

"Are you sure?"

Ana was breathing hard. "Yes. It may be checkmate," she gasped. "But in a game of chess the Queen always protects the King." Ana leaned on her desk to steady herself. "If he goes down, then I go down with him." She grabbed her purse from under her desk. "I'm ready."

"OK," said Kate.

They exited Ana's office. "Hannah? Can you call Gail and ask her to put Teddy and Phoebe to bed, please. Tell her something's come up and I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll see you tomorrow."

"OK." Hannah picked up the phone.

The two women strode through the bank of desks and out to the elevator. Ana ignored it and headed for the stairs, their heels echoing loudly on the steps in the cavernous stairwell. Kate led the way to her car. As she started the engine her phone rang. She pressed the key on the steering wheel.

"Scott!"

"Kate, listen. I'm down at MXSport Gym. There's a Private Members' Club under here and Marnie's set up some kind of sting for Christian Grey. You need to get down here!"

"I'm on my way!" Kate stole a glance at Ana. She was staring resolutely ahead. "Do you know any more details?"

"He'll be with a woman in room seven and I'm to walk in at seven fifteen and take photos of whatever I find."

Kate pulled out of Grey Publishing's parking garage and weaved through the traffic. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

"We?" asked Scott.

"I have his wife with me."

"Oh." said Scott, after a beat.

"Laters!" Said Kate and ended the call to concentrate on the road.

Kate and Ana drew up in the parking lot outside the gym and there, a few cars ahead, sat Christian's low-slung black Audi R8. Ana got out of the car and went over to it. Kate saw her close her eyes and place her hands on the roof as if to steady herself.

Kate checked her watch. It was 6.58pm. She got out of the car and walked over to Ana. "We should go." She said gently.

The two of them walked over to the entrance of the nondescript two story building. Kate pulled the door open and the smell of sweaty bodies nearly knocked them both over. "Jesus! Don't these people wash?" she griped and led Ana through to the entrance but turned aside just before the main entrance to the gym and went through a door marked 'Staff Only.' There, as usual was the bored young woman sat behind the desk.

"Member number?"

"8-7-2. I have a guest with me this evening."

"She'll need to fill out a card."

"Can't you just let her in, she won't be coming back."

"No, those are the rules. No details, no entry."

Kate rolled her eyes and snatched the proffered index card and pen. Kate took it over to a small ledge and made up a completely false set of details for Ana. "You're going to be Daisy Drake for the evening."

"Who are you?" asked Ana.

"Carrie Smart." Kate took a closer look at her friend. There was something extremely calm about her compared to just a few minutes ago. Too calm. Kate didn't like it. This almost felt like the eye of the storm.

Kate presented the completed card to the woman and in return received her own green number-stamped disc, as did Ana. Ana was number 8-7-3, one number up from Kate's member number. She hoped that meant that Marnie and Scott weren't here yet. The woman released the lock on the door and Kate led the way down the dimly lit stairwell into the club.

Unlike last time, there was no gentle classical music playing. The Eagles' _Hotel California_ was blasting out and Kate wondered what it was playing so loudly to cover up the noise of? At the bottom of the stairs she guided Ana back around to the changing rooms.

"We'll have to strip down to our underwear." she said. "Sorry, but it's club policy that you can't wear street clothes."

Ana stared at Kate in annoyance then pulled a lilac pashmina out of her purse and gave a shrug of resignation. "OK." She said and headed for one of the cubicles.

Ana came out of the changing cubicle a couple of minutes later wearing a cream bra and the pashmina tied in a wide belt around her hips. "You'll have to allow me some measure of modesty. I'm still bleeding from the miscarriage." She said sadly.

Kate nodded and they loaded their stuff into a locker each.

They walked back into the club. Kate didn't pause to explain what was what or where she was heading, it was almost seven fifteen. She went straight to the room board and checked the peg for room seven. Five of the rooms were in use and on peg seven, disc 128 was on top – whoever that was. She walked into the long hallway and down past each door until they reached door seven. The Eagles had given way to The Killers, but even above the dulcet tones of Brandon Flowers, Kate could hear a rhythmic thwack behind the door that she knew wasn't part of the drum part. She put her hand to the door handle but Ana pulled it away.

"No, Kate, let me. He's my husband and I'd like to protect whatever dignity he has left."

Kate stood aside and Ana, turning the handle, pushed the door open.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**The Devil's Kitchen, 7.15pm, Thursday July 23****rd****. **

Kate followed Ana and stepped into the room. She stared at the scene in front of her and didn't know which bit of it to process first. The sight of Elena Lincoln in black leather underwear, or the sight of the bright red backside of the naked man standing in the center of the room with his hands cuffed above his head. At their arrival Elena broke off her whipping.

"Do not speak! Do not move!" she commanded. The man was instantly compliant. Elena turned to Ana.

"Anastasia. This is a surprise."

"Oh my _God._" Kate could barely squeak the words out.

There was a commotion out in the passageway and suddenly, in the doorway behind them, stood Marnie Moore and Wayne Lincoln.

"Mr. Gray, as arranged," said Elena in triumph, flourishing her hand at the shackled man beside her.

Linc came into the room and looked him over.

"That's not him!"

"It is. You asked for Mr. Gray and you've got Mr. Gray. This is the only Mr. Gray on the club's membership list. You can check it yourself."

"That's not Christian Grey!" glowered Linc.

"No, it's Frank Gray."

"I wanted…"

Elena cut him off. "You asked me to get you Mr. Gray, you never specified a first name."

Linc realized that he'd been double-crossed. "You fucking _bitch!_" His ringing slap across her face coincided with the rapid whir of a camera motor shooting multiple frames. Scott had arrived. Kate glanced around at him gratefully, did a double take and her jaw nearly hit the floor. He was shirtless and in pale blue jeans. No wonder he was familiar! She stared at him as he fired off frame after frame, until Linc realized that in repeatedly hitting Elena all he was doing was incriminating himself and he fled the scene, pushing Marnie roughly out of his way. The wiry-haired woman looked frantically between Elena and her retreating boyfriend, trying to decide what to do.

Elena touched her fingers to her lips and pulled them away to inspect them. "Not bleeding this time."

Marnie made the decision to stay and then suddenly remembered why she was here. "So where's Christian Grey?" she snapped, looking at Elena. You told Linc he'd be here."

"I said Mr. Gray would be here, I was very specific about that. That Linc chose to believe it was Christian is not my problem."

Marnie turned to Ana. "So what are _you_ doing here?"

"Making sure that people like you, don't take advantage of people like Frank Gray." Ana stood her ground in front of Moore.

"Do you make a habit of frequenting BDSM clubs Mrs. Grey? Is this something the Seattle public should know? Does your husband approve and does he join in with your kinky antics?" She turned to Kate. "No wonder you wanted to write a column about using sex toys," she spat.

Ana unleashed a withering glare on Moore. "Do _you_ make a habit of dating men who beat wives so badly that they have to have facial surgery to re-set the bones? And what exactly are you going to do, now that you've attempted _and failed_ to blackmail my husband? You know he'll sue the _Seattle Times_ into extinction."

Moore ignored her. "I'm asking again, Mrs. Grey, where is your husband? He's supposed to be here."

"I don't believe he is," said Ana

"As I said to Linc," said Elena. "Check the membership list. You won't find any other Mr. Grey."

"Well perhaps he's hiding under another name; Mr. Black, Mr. White or Mr. Bright Red Ass. Where is he Mrs. Grey? Where is your husband, _right now_?"

Ana didn't and couldn't reply.

"You don't know, do you? Some marriage you have." Moore gloated. "Did you know about him and her?" She pointed to Elena.

Ana remained silent and still.

"The sordid stuff they did together? I've seen the picture. Would you like to see it, Mrs. Grey? The picture of your young, hot, husband, collared and kneeling naked at the feet of this wrinkled, old, crone." Marnie emphasized each word. "Bet that image will stay right in your head forev…_aargh!_" Marnie cried out as the flick of Elena's whip caught the backs of her legs. She wheeled around. "You fucking _witch!"_

"Don't play games with the big girls, Marnie," said Elena. "You don't know what you're taking on."

"What? Are you saying that I should be scared of you and mousey, little, Anastasia Grey?"

It was Elena's turn to square up to Marnie at which the journalist visibly shrank back. "Yes. Didn't your mommy ever tell you that it's never the lion that you should be scared of, it's the lioness? The anger of Christian Grey is _nothing_ compared to what Anastasia Grey will unleash on you. So take some advice from Aunt Elena, a wrinkled, but wise old crone and Fuck off!" Elena coiled her whip for another strike. Marnie Moore took the hint and fled.

Elena and Ana stood in front of each other.

"Thank you," said Ana.

"You're welcome."

"I thought you wouldn't hesitate to participate in his downfall."

Elena shook her head. "I love him, in my twisted way." She said with sadness. "Why would I want to hurt him?"

"Because I have him and you don't?"

Elena shook her head. "Ancient history. And, I have to admit you've done a better job than I could of rounding him out, with nothing more than love and patience. Two things I could never give him." Elena gestured at the man beside her. "Besides, I couldn't expose him without exposing myself and I like what I do."

Ana nodded. She shifted from foot to foot. "This is a little… awkward, but you don't by any chance know where my husband is this evening?"

She nodded. "Yes. He's on the second floor."

"Thank you."

Elena coiled up her whip. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Gray has paid until eight o'clock."

"Of course," Ana replied. She and Kate silently left the room and closed the door behind them.

Out in the passageway Scott was waiting.

"Kate." He said with nonchalance. "Here we are again." His lips quirked up in a smile.

"Indeed." She flushed. "We're making quite a habit of it." Kate glanced to Ana who was furrowing her brow at Scott's clothing. "Um… Scott, this is Anastasia Grey, my sister-in-law."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Grey. Scott McDowell. I'm a photographer for the _Seattle Times_."

"And you're a member here?"

"Yes, I am."

"And… that's what you wear?"

"Yeah." He said, looking down at his jeans. "I don't really get the whole leather pants thing. You can't put them in the wash if you get them covered in… stuff."

"That's very… practical." She replied in a slightly strangulated voice. Kate detected the hint of a smirk on her lips. "So, tell me, was Elena right? Is Frank Gray the only person of that name on the membership list?"

"Yes. A lot of people use pseudonyms.

"That's understandable." Ana turned away.

"Mrs. Grey?"

She turned back to Scott.

"You're here because you were expecting your husband, weren't you?"

Ana nodded.

"He is a member here."

"Oh." Ana bit her lip.

"He's on the list under the name of Mr. Fifty."

"Is he now?" Ana's face was inscrutable.

"And his secret's safe with me. And Kate. And Elena."

"Thank you."

"Let's go and find him." said Kate, gently taking Ana's arm.

Ana looked at her and even in the dim light it was clear to see that large beads of tears were glistening in the corners of her eyes. She was scared.

"Whatever it is, Ana, whatever's upstairs, whatever he's doing, I'll be right here for you. Always."

"Thank you."

They walked back into the central area. Ana quickened her pace, broke into a run and Kate followed. Ana didn't stop to get dressed or even put on shoes, she ran up the stairs, out of the doors of the Devil's Kitchen and into the main lobby of the building. She didn't pause; she carried on, running up the stairs to the second floor as fast as she could. Kate chased hard on her heels, neither one of them knowing what they would find at the top.

They found themselves on a white landing. The walls were giving off a luminous glow as if they were made of pure mother of pearl. It was quite beautiful and in stark contrast to the deep indigo of the basement. To their left were doors with silver nameplates for Ladies and Gentlemen. Ana walked over and pushed the door open on the men's room. It was a changing room, with showers at the end, lockers on the right hand side and wooden pegs running down the left hand side of the room. From them hung eight sets of men's clothes. Ana walked over to one peg, lifted a white shirt and sniffed it.

"This is his," she said. She moved it aside, fished in his pants pocket and pulled out his BlackBerry. "No point calling him, then." she said and put it back.

"So he's definitely here," said Kate. "Compared to the basement, this looks like heaven. I love this paint."

But Ana was off again, pattering across the matching white sparkly flooring in her bare feet to the other side of the landing to a set of large, white double doors. Ana placed her hand on the right door handle and Kate heard her take a deep breath. The name was picked out in indigo-colored script.

"Ambrosia." Kate said and Ana pulled open the door.

They found themselves on the edge of another bright, white room, in which six men looked up from they were doing and stared at them. They were dressed in identical white jackets and working at identical kitchen stations placed in four rows of two.

"Food of the gods." Kate said as she remembered the word's Roman meaning.

A seventh man popped up on the left hand side and made them both jump.

"Fuck, yes, I did it!" He said and dropped a tray of perfect pastries on the trivet on the counter top. The men broke away from their staring and cheered. The familiar copper-haired man grinned, his smile changing to stunned as he did a double take at the equally familiar underwear-clad women stood by the door. _"Ana?"_ He gasped and made a dash for her. "Baby, what are you doing here?" His face was mixture of shock and dismay.

"Looking for you." She said pathetically.

He raised his eyebrows. "In your underwear?" He quickly unbuttoned the jacket of his chef's whites, took it off and wrapped it around her. He dropped his head to hers. "Mine!" He said in a low growl, buttoning up the jacket and Kate noticed the smoldering look he gave his wife. Ana nodded.

Kate cast her eye around the room but didn't get very far as she spied an eighth man, a familiar curly-haired blonde trying to hide behind a room divider next to where Christian had been working. _"Elliot?_ I thought you were at the gym?"

"Sorry Kate," said Christian. "It's my fault. I talked him into this."

Kate walked over to him and Elliot realized there was no point hiding anymore. "You're both learning to cook?" She asked.

"Stranger things have happened," said her husband, giving a shrug.

"I'm trying hard to think of one." Beneath his white jacket Elliot was wearing baggy indigo check pants, like every other man in the room.

"Let's start with you wandering around in your underwear." Said Elliot. "Not that I object."

"I was chasing Ana. We didn't stop to get dressed."

"Oh well, that makes perfect sense." He said sarcastically. "What are you..." he started to say, but was cut off by the sound of the fire alarm and from the far corner, a blonde-haired woman came out of an office.

"OK, clear the room!" She said throwing a switch on the wall and cutting the power to the place. The men instantly complied. Elliot undid his own jacket and draped it around Kate's shoulders as the group trooped down the stairs, merging in with the people leaving the gym in sweaty exercise gear. They filed out into the parking lot where the first large drops of rain were starting to fall from the dark, grey clouds above. There was a loud rumble of thunder.

"Oh fabulous," Christian grumbled. "It sure knows how to pick its moments."

They found a space to stand in and he pulled Ana tightly to him and hoisted her up so that she was standing on the tops of his feet. Beneath Kate's bare ones the pavement was still warm from the days' sun. They stood looking at the building as the last of the people exited. From the far left hand side Kate could see smoke rising. So it was a real fire, not just someone burning their food.

"Someone should call the Fire Department." She said.

"I think Katus already has," said Elliot. "She's on the phone." He pointed to the blonde-haired woman. "Do you remember Elena Lincoln? The woman…" Elliot dropped his voice. "That Christian had a thing with, ages ago?" Kate nodded. "Well, that's her sister. She's even more of a bitch than Elena is – which is saying something."

Kate looked around, wondering why Scott wasn't taking pictures. But Scott wasn't anywhere in sight and neither was Marnie. She looked for Elena and for the saggy-assed Frank Gray. None of them were stood with the crowd from the cookery school and the gym.

"There's no one here from the basement." She commented.

"What basement?" said Elliot.

"Christian?" Said Kate, more loudly. "There's no one out here from the club."

"What?" He looked around. "_Fuck!_" He released Ana. "Baby, stay here. Elliot, come with me."

"Elliot, _no!_" Kate ran after him and grabbed his arm trying to stop him.

"Kate, if people are trapped in the basement we have to help them." he said.

"Honey, wait for the Fire Department," implored Kate.

"It might just be a sounder that's not gone off and they don't know. Stay with Ana." Elliot pried her off him, caught up with Christian and they ran back into the building together.

Kate stared at Ana, horrified. "Elliot's going to find out. He's going to want to know how Christian knows about that place, or knows his way around that place."

Ana shook her head. "I can't think about that right now. I'm…" But what Ana was, was lost, as a massive explosion ripped through the building, blowing out most of the first floor in a fireball and causing the second floor to collapse down onto it.

Screams of horror went through the watching crowd but no sounds at all came from the stunned, silent figures of Kate and Ana Grey.


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**Rainier Business Park, 7.58pm. Thursday July 23****rd**

The building had exploded right in front of them and now the sky exploded in a crack of lightning directly above, making Kate's ears hurt. The rain started to build in intensity. Within seconds the parking lot was awash with water bouncing off the surface, soaking her feet and she was soon stood in a puddle, although she paid no attention to it. Kate did nothing but stare at the still intact entrance but neither Elliot nor Christian came out of it. She splashed a couple of steps forward and then stopped. What was she thinking of doing, running into the burning building? She turned back to Ana. She too was allowing the rain to soak her through and staring at the last place she'd seen Christian. Ana's hair was already losing its curl.

Somebody smacked Kate on her shoulder; the force of it twisted her around." What the _fuck_ did they think they were doing?" A man in red gym gear said angrily. "The building was empty!" Rivulets of water were running down his face. They must be running down hers too but she couldn't feel them. She was numb.

"It wasn't empty, there are people in the basement," said Kate. "They haven't come out."

"Oh." He said a little confused. "What's in the basement?

A gasp from the crowd turned Kate's head back to the entrance as a portly, balding man wrapped in an indigo bathrobe stumbled out of the building.

"That's Michael Xavier," said the man who'd struck Kate. "He owns the gym. Perhaps he was in the shower?"

But Kate knew the deep indigo color was from something else and in her chest her heart decided to have another go at beating. She went back to Ana.

"They're getting out!" She grasped Ana's wet hands between hers and as they watched, one or two more people came out, coughing and some falling to their hands and knees to retch into the rain. The bored girl on the desk appeared, helping a young woman dressed in nothing but a leather harness. A mutter went through the onlookers as it suddenly became clear what was going on in the basement.

More people appeared, but not Christian or Elliot. Kate's initial hope started to fade and she gripped Ana's hands tighter. To the left more of the building collapsed, sending a fresh screams through the crowd and a spike of terror through both of them. Kate realized that tears were now mixing with the rain running down her face. Overhead there was another intense crack of lightning which arced across the sky. Kate winced from the sound of it, but kept her eyes fixed on the doorway, out of which people were occasionally leaving in various states of undress. They were now being helped by people from the crowd. The men from the cookery school were donating their jackets and sometimes their pants to those who found themselves without any clothing at all. Then Kate saw Scott emerge, his camera bashing against his chest as he helped a grey-haired man wrapped in an indigo robe to safety. Both of them were coughing violently. She wondered for a second where Marnie had got, but all thought of her was expunged as Elliot came out through the door carrying the inert form of Elena Lincoln in his arms.

"Elliot!" She screamed, let go of Ana and ran towards him, splashing through the rain before another massive explosion ripped through the building, the force of which sent Kate and others sprawling backwards. Elliot himself was blown forwards and landed sprawled on top of Elena. She didn't move.

Kate could see fire now in the entrance to the building. Where the fuck was Christian? And where the fuck was the fucking Fire Department? Kate turned around, but she couldn't see Ana and then she recoiled in shock as someone gave a loud shout and splashed by her. She looked at the man in his red kit running towards the building… towards the woman in the white jacket who was nearly there.

"Ana! _Noooo!_" Screamed Kate, getting to her feet and splashing hell for leather through the rain to get to her friend.

And then in the doorway Christian appeared, also carrying another inert body. He ran out into the rain going over to the place where Elliot was. Ana followed him back, pushing her soaking hair back behind her ears. Christian was coughing violently and his face and body were blackened with smoke. He put the woman down next to Elliot who was already working on Elena, breathing air into her lungs. Elliot broke off to cough. Kate sped over to him and splashed to her knees beside Elena.

"You do the chest compressions, I'll breathe!" She said to him. Their eyes met. "I have never been so worried in my entire life!" she gasped. Elliot touched her face and leaned over Elena to kiss his wife.

"Me either." He admitted and then looked down at Elena. "Let's get to work."

Beside Kate and Elliot, Christian and Ana were doing the same. Ana was breathing into the woman while Christian was coughing his way through the chest compressions. The crowd started to close in to watch and in the distance, above the sound of the rain, Kate could hear the wail of sirens. Help was finally on its way.

Elena gave a cough and started to breathe on her own. Elliot pulled her over into the recovery position. "You're OK, you're back with us. Sorry, it's a little wet out here."

Kate got up and crouched down on the other side of Elena where she could see her. "The medics are on their way." She said encouragingly, smoothing Elena's wet hair out of her face and noticing the bloom of a bruise on her cheek from where Linc had hit her. Through coughs Elena managed to say a soundless thank you and Kate gave her a smile. Elliot's attention was turned to the woman beside them who still wasn't breathing. Kate glanced away and as she did so noticed Marnie Moore stood at a distance, her face horror-struck. Well at least she was OK. Kate turned back to Christian and Ana and as Ana moved her face away from the woman, Kate saw who she and Christian were working on.

"Oh my God, it's Susannah!"

"I know," gasped Ana. "Why do you think we're working so fucking hard!" Ana geared up for the next breaths as Christian made ten rhythmic pushes on Susannah's chest.

Flashing lights and loud sirens announced the arrival of a fire truck and two ambulances and the crowd parted to let the medics through.

"Keep going whilst we set up." One said and the other pulled a defibrillator out and got ready.

"OK, we'll take it from here."

Christian and Ana scrabbled back into each others arms. The medics lifted Susannah onto a flat board. Elliot scooped Elena up into his arms and the area cleared around where the medical team were working. Kate watched from beside Elliot and Elena as one man applied adhesive pads to Susannah's chest and then placed the electrodes on top of them.

"Clear!" He shouted and delivered a shock to Susannah. She barely reacted.

"Oh God," whispered Kate.

"No, that's quite normal. They overact in movies," said Elliot. Kate looked at him and he shrugged. "You try growing up with a medic for a mother. That's why Mia, Christian and I knew how do to this from an early age. She insisted we learn."

"Good for her." Said Elena.

On the second jolt Susannah's heart re-established itself. Kate looked over to Christian and Ana who were clinging to one another as if they were both life rafts.

Elliot looked at Kate. "How did you know there were people in the basement?"

"I was down there. It's a long story."

"Which you will tell me at some point." He said, darkly. It wasn't a look Elliot suited. But yes, Kate knew she had some explaining to do. "Christian also needs to explain to me how he knew the layout of that place so well. Is this some kinky place the three of you go to when I'm not around?"

"Somebody tried to blackmail Christian," said Elena. "Kate and Ana were there to try and save him from it."

"And did you?" Elliot's expression was turning angry.

Kate thought of the photograph, still in Marnie and Linc's possession. "Not exactly."

"Is this because of the blackmailers? Did they try to blow him up?"

"I don't know."

"Because if they did I will personally pick out the intestines of whatever did this with a fucking kebab skewer! Buildings don't just explode."

Kate look back to where Marnie was standing, still ashen faced. Another arc of lightning split the sky and still the rain pounded them. The intensity of it was starting to hurt Kate's head. Ana and Christian had returned to exchange a word with the medics before Susannah was loaded into the back of the Ambulance.

Another EMT approached with a wheelchair.

"May we take a look at you, ma'am?"

Elliot set Elena down on her feet and she sank gladly into the wheelchair. The medic placed a blanket over her and wheeled her away. Christian and Ana came over. Elliot and Christian were still shirtless and Christian looked like he'd been mining coal. His chest was streaked with black smoke marks. Ana was under his arm and both her and Kate were wearing their husband's white chef's jackets with the name Ambrosia stitched in indigo on the left breast. All four of them looked like drowned rats with the men's indigo check pants now stuck to their legs. A Police Officer approached them. Christian and Ana moved to stand beside Kate and Elliot.

"We need to set up a time to come and speak to you both individually, but for the moment may I take some contact details and a brief outline of what, in your opinion, happened here this evening."

Kate mused on that. There were bits of this story that she hoped the Police were going to be able to be discreet about.

Those who could leave were now starting to leave. But for many, they were stranded with no keys to their cars, or no phones to get extra keys to their cars. The four members of the Grey family were no exception and even Christian, with all his power and influence was still short of a cell phone to ask Taylor to come rescue them. Thankfully someone was being generous with theirs and Christian got word to his unflappable wing man.

"Taylor and Prescott will be down here as soon as they can. Prescott will take you home."

"Thanks. This is one night I hope Ava's being a little minx and won't go to sleep. I want to hug her so tightly," said Kate.

"She's not sleeping in our bed, she kicks me." Elliot grumbled.

"Grey!" Came a shout behind them and they turned to see Wayne Lincoln pulling the hammer down on a revolver and pointing the gun at Christian. "You've wormed your way out of things for the last time!" He was standing about forty yards away holding a large metal can in his hand.

"No, Linc, _No!_" Marnie ran towards him. "You've done enough damage!" She skittered to a halt as he aimed the gun at her.

"Go away! This is nothing to do with you. This is between me and him."

"They'll get you for what you've done, here!" She yelled.

"And what have you done here. Linc?" growled Christian. "Don't tell me that you've destroyed property and put countless people's lives in danger, just because you're pissed at me over something I did years ago?"

"And you will pay for that."

"Which bit?" asked Christian, unwinding his arm from Ana and stepping forward. "Just before you pull the trigger, at least have the decency to tell me which bit you're killing me for. Bankrupting you or screwing your wife?"

"All of it. I just hate you."

"Oh, well that's cleared that up." Christian extended his arms. "So, go on. Shoot me."

Wayne Lincoln didn't move.

"Elliot, are the Police still here?" Said Christian.

"Uh… yes they are."

"Good. Ana won't have to suffer too long before they catch you." Christian took another step forward. "Come on, _do it!_ You know you want to."

"Hey bro, you got a death wish or something?" said Elliot.

"Linc, no!" Wailed Marnie. "Don't do this! Too many people have been hurt already. Stop it! It wasn't supposed to end like this!" She wailed.

"It's too late now," said Linc, walking towards Christian as he took better aim with the gun. "He should have thought about that years ago when he…"

"Oh shut the fuck up," said Ana.

There was the sound of a gun and Wayne Lincoln crumpled to the ground writhing in agony, as blood oozed from a wound above his knee. Beside her, Kate looked at Ana. She held a smoking gun.

"The queen will always protect the king." She said calmly and tucked the gun back into the top of her tied pashmina.

Kate shook her head and smiled with incredulity.

On the ground, Wayne Lincoln tried to summon his faculties together.

"You missed!" He laughed maniacally, took aim again at Christian and then exploded apart as a bolt of lightning struck him.

The sound wave from it hurt like nothing Kate had ever experienced before. She fell to the ground, covering her ears to assuage the pain. She felt like her head had been pounded with a stone. Elliot grabbed her. He said something, but Kate couldn't hear it from the ringing in her ears. She pressed herself against his wet chest and out from the corner of her eye she saw Ana knelt in a puddle. She was sobbing violently. Christian went to her and knelt with her in it. It was still pouring with rain, Kate couldn't hear a thing, but she was a good-enough lip-reader to know what Ana was crying out, as Christian gathered her to him.

"Our baby!"


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33  
Seattle, 6.05am, Friday July 24****th**

Carrick Grey exited the branch of Starbucks carrying a bag and a tray of four large coffees. It had been a long and draining night, but a happy one. His fourth grandchild, Benjamin Carrick William Kavanagh, had timed his arrival with the biggest electrical storm that Seattle had seen in years and the streets were still awash with water, that even the well-used Seattle storm drains were failing to cope with. It had finally stopped raining and Carrick had dipped out to pick up coffee and bagels.

He'd have been fine to have spent the night in his own bed and called in early this morning on his way to work to meet the new arrival. But no, that wouldn't do. Of course it wouldn't do. He was married to Grace and what Grace wanted was what he ended up doing. The pair of them had spent the night pacing the hallways of the Children's Hospital, waiting for the moment that Ethan, looking like he'd been punched in the face by happiness, had wandered out with the news at just after four this morning. It was a boy, weighing in on the nose of 8lbs. Mother and baby were doing well. Of course, Grace needed to see for herself and Carrick had had his nose pushed out from then on. But he didn't mind. All was well with his family, stupid tabloid insinuations about Christian and Kate having an affair notwithstanding. But Christian had been more himself when Carrick had dropped by on Monday. The weight of the Singapore deal had lifted and Carrick was pleased to hear that he and Ana had scheduled a vacation. If ever a couple needed a break, it was those two. Ana had barely said half a dozen words to him when they'd last been together on July 4th. She looked tired and worried, but Christian had reassured him that she was OK now and feeling a lot less stressed.

He walked past a newsstand and decided to pick up a paper. Grace would be in full-on clucky-Grandma mode for the rest of the morning, so there would be plenty of time for the pleasure of reading the paper. Not something he ever managed to do on a weekday morning. The guy behind the stand was berating the driver of the delivery truck for the late arrival of the _Seattle Times_.

"They were late going to press. What do you think we are, miracle workers? We can't print it if we don't have it!"

The seller muttered something indistinguishable back, cut the plastic binding on the stack, pulled away the covering sheet and Carrick's heart almost stopped in his chest.

"What the…?" He stuttered. Elliot and Christian were on the front page of the _Seattle Times_. Christian looked like he'd been rolling in the dirt and Carrick's first, sickening thought was that he'd been arrested for fighting - again. His eyes went to the headline, but his brain was a little too scrambled to comprehend much beyond them having been involved in a rescue. He put down his bag and tray of coffees and fumbled in his pocket for some money. He bought two copies because he knew that once Grace saw this he wouldn't get a chance to read it himself.

He hurried back to his car and read the first page, finally getting the reassurance that Elliot and Christian were OK, but that other people weren't. There'd been an explosion in a building that housed a cookery school, a gym and, it seemed, a private members' club in the basement. Elliot and Christian were being hailed as heroes for risking their lives to get twenty four people to safety. Inside, on pages 2 and 3 were more pictures from the aftermath of the fire, including an uncropped version of the picture on the front page. Elliot and Christian with Kate and Ana tucked under their arms, talking to a Police Officer. From the boys' check pants, they were obviously attending the cookery school. Elliot and Christian cooking? Had the world gone completely mad? Those two had both been allergic to boiling so much as an egg before now. Mia had gone completely the other way and now dished up art, not food.

Regardless of that, there was one thing for sure; when she found out what her sons had been doing last night, Grace was going to go nuts.

Carrick pushed the door open on Mia's room.

"Where on earth have you been?" griped Grace. Carrick noted the irritation of a Grandma currently being denied her cuddle quota. He looked to the bed where Mia was feeding her son. Ethan was looking on in that bemused way he'd seen on both Christian and Elliot's faces. Grace whipped two coffees off the tray and handed one to Ethan. She came back for the third and placed it on the bedside unit for Mia to pick up when she could.

"I picked up a paper," said Carrick. "Have you heard from Elliot or Christian this morning?" he inquired.

"No. I was going to call them around seven. I know they'll both be up by then." Grace looked at her husband and then furrowed her brow. "Why?" she asked and narrowed her eyes. Having been married for close to forty years, she could read his face like a book. Carrick handed her a paper and went to sit down.

Grace looked at the front page. He noticed the simultaneous collapse into her chair and the falling open of her mouth.

"Three… two… one…" He muttered under his breath.

"What are they _doing_ to me?" She shouted. "Of all the…!"

"What?" said Mia. "What have they done now?"

"Nearly died, that's what!" She put her coffee down and opened the paper, her eyes fixing on the picture of her boys with their wives. "Oh _no_, this is…" She looked at Carrick bewildered. "Why didn't they call?" She said in anguish. "Surely they'd know I'd see this or hear about it somehow. Are they out to torture me?"

"Perhaps they couldn't," said Carrick, now having had time to process the details of what had happened. Or perhaps they will do at seven o'clock when they know you're up."

"They know they can call me anytime of the day or night."

"I know. But if they're all OK and there's nothing to worry about, then perhaps they'll call at a more civilized hour," he said calmly. "I'm sure they would've called if one of them had been injured."

"But still. To hear about your sons' brush with death, from a _newspaper?_ It's not right." She asserted.

"Mom, they're grown men who run businesses, not six and four and still need their noses wiping. They probably didn't call because they knew how you'd react. Like this, flying off the handle. Calm down. I'm sure one or both of them will call when they think you've gotten out of bed." Mia gave an exasperated sigh and a knowing look to her father. Carrick smiled. His children knew their mother very well.

"We should go over there," said Grace. Mia pulled the paper closer with her free hand.

"Over where?" said Carrick.

"Over to Elliot's house, or Christian's." She stood up. "I'm calling Elliot and getting him to meet us at Christian's. I want to know first hand what they were doing."

"They're wearing chef's whites?" scoffed Mia. "They're learning to cook? What fresh horror is this? I'm sure Kate and Ana didn't know about that. Ana wouldn't have let Christian anywhere near a stove if she'd known. Un-burnt toast is pretty much beyond him."

"Precisely why we need answers. I'm going to call Elliot and then Christian." Grace strode out into the hallway.

"There goes my chance to sit and read the paper," sighed Carrick.

**xXXx**

Gail Taylor opened the door to Carrick and Grace. "Come in." She said. "Christian's in his study, go through."

"Where's Ana?" asked Grace.

"She's asleep. Ted and Phoebe are in the living room with Astrid. They'll be with her as usual today."

"OK." Grace walked through the house, Carrick following behind. As they got nearer they could hear the sound of Christian talking to someone on speakerphone. Grace knocked on the door.

"One second, Alex," said Christian. "Come in." Grace pushed the door open. "Hi," said Christian. "I'm on the phone to Alex in Uganda, could you give me five minutes?"

"Sure. We'll go say hi to Ted and Phoebe." Grace ducked out again and the couple walked into the living room where Astrid was sitting on the floor supporting Phoebe as she was making an earnest go of taking some steps."

"Oh look at her, testing those legs!" Grace was instantly down on the floor with her happy smiley grand-daughter. Carrick went to sit with Ted who today, for a change, was building a tower.

"Not an aircraft hangar?" asked Carrick.

"No. A big tower. Like Daddy's."

Carrick ruffled his grandson's hair. "Can I help?"

"Yes. Need to build it really high."

Christian re-appeared a few minutes later, coughing badly.

"Mia has a little boy!" Grace said. "Benjamin Carrick William. 8lbs and good and healthy."

"That's fabulous. When Ana wakes we'll make arrangements to go see them."

"Now…" started Grace.

"Sorry for not telling you earlier," Christian jumped in. "We only got home from the hospital at four."

"I didn't think you were badly hurt?" said his mom, suddenly concerned.

"We weren't, although all four of us have perforated eardrums and Elliot and I have got the effects of smoke inhalation," he sighed. "But a friend of ours was more seriously injured. We went to the hospital to wait until her parents got there."

"Is she OK?"

"She's got a lot of lung damage. And I managed to break two of her ribs doing chest compressions."

"That's not unusual," said Grace. "But better broken ribs than a dead friend, yes?"

"Yes."

"I'm proud that you managed to use what I taught you. So, who is she?" asked Grace, clearly fishing.

"Susannah Moss. She was, until recently, an Attorney at Lane, Neill and O'Driscoll."

"The Susannah Moss who was on the McCaffrey case a few years ago? And brokered a way through the Peter Houghton nightmare at the start of the year?" asked Carrick.

"Sorry, I don't know," said Christian.

"To resolve Houghton was some deal. That was at absolute stalemate for months. She did brilliant work. And you say she's not at Lane, Neill and O'Driscoll anymore?"

"No. She resigned."

"Don't you need a new Chief Legal Advisor?"

"I do, but…"

"In my professional opinion, you should get her."

"She's a friend, Dad. That would be inappropriate."

"Get her to apply. Seriously. Your HR department will take one look at her credentials and put her on the shortlist. You don't need to do the final interviews, let others decide if she's the best of the bunch."

Christian looked at his Dad, as if he was wrestling with a decision. "I'll think about it."

"Well don't think about it too long or I'll have her."

Christian nodded and then winced, putting his hand to his ear.

"You have earache?" asked Grace.

"You could say that. And tinnitus."

"Get plenty of pain relief."

"We are."

"So," said Grace pointedly. "Do you want to explain to us why you ran back into an exploding building?"

Just then Kate, Elliot and Ava arrived. Elliot looked like he'd gotten a lot more sleep than Christian had. The news about Mia and Ethan's new arrival shared, Kate went off with Astrid and the children.

"He arrived during a lightning storm?" Elliot commented. "Do you think that they should've called him Damien and checked for a tail and a pitchfork?" Carrick and Christian laughed, getting the reference, Grace did not and glowered at her older son.

"I was just asking Christian if he'd care to explain last night," she snapped. "So now you both can."

Elliot looked at Christian, who was overcome with another coughing fit. "I guess I'll explain. Christian and I were having our weekly lesson on the second floor when the fire alarm went off. We went out into the rain, met up with Kate and Ana who'd come out of the gym and then someone said that no one had come out of the basement. So we went to make sure they got out. And then the building exploded. We managed to make sure everyone got out and carried out the two people who were the most badly injured."

"One of whom was Elena Lincoln, I see." Grace snapped, staring at Christian with eyes that could freeze hell. "And Wayne Lincoln is dead. Struck by lightning. Where does he fit into this?"

Elliot looked to Christian.

"He was trying to kill me." Christian replied.

"Why?"

"I put him out of business and the… thing with Elena." Elliot saw a very distinct shudder go through his mom.

"I see." She replied.

"He was carrying a can of something, I'm assuming some kind of accelerant, although how the building came to explode, I don't know. Guess we'll have to wait for forensics," said Christian.

"And he was struck by lighting in front of you?" asked Carrick.

"Yes," said Christian. "Watching someone explode apart isn't something I'd recommend."

"I'm sure Elena would have found it very satisfying," said Grace. "Whatever I think of her personally, he was a brute of a man and I'm not entirely unhappy that he's dead. So is that it?"

"Yes."

"OK. And now you're both heroes." She smiled.

"Yeah. I was thinking I should wear a cape and my underpants on the outside," said Elliot.

Grace's cell phone chimed. She checked it and paled. "Or perhaps just wear a shirt. Oh you are fifty-six for heaven's sake, stop it!" She shoved her cell phone back in her pocket.

"What's the matter?" asked Carrick.

"Christy. Making inappropriate comments about the boys. No mother should have to see that."

Elliot laughed. "Ooh… Mrs. Somerton has the hots for us Christian. What do you say to checking out an older woman? Oh, I forgot you've already done that."

Christian whacked his brother on the arm.

"Stop it!" said Grace.

"Hey, can I get some coffee?" asked Elliot.

"Sure." Christian got up and walked into the kitchen. Elliot followed him and leant up against the counter beside him.

"So your surprise for Ana's out the window, then?"

"Yes." Christian sighed. "And we were starting fish on Thursday. I really wanted to do that bit, I love fish. You know I was going to cook fish for her birthday meal."

"I was thinking about that driving over. I know of an empty place and I know a team of guys who could fit it out before Thursday, if you could pay for it?"

Christian gave a broad smile. "Sure!" And then pulled away, as he was overcome by a coughing fit. He straightened up. "This is exhausting." He poured them both some coffee and pushed a mug to Elliot. They drank and there was an awkward silence.

"You know what I'm going to ask," said Elliot. "We rescued Elena and you knew your way around that club very well. If I put two and two together, will I get four?"

"She took me there, yes. But I haven't attended that club for over ten years."

"She's a Domme?"

"Yes."

"And you were her slave?"

"Submissive."

"That's just…" Elliot shook his head. "Seeing you as the one in charge, now that I could get. I mean, you've always acted like the Master of the Universe. But submitting yourself, humiliating yourself for her? That I don't get."

"She helped me to gain control when I was out of control. Call it a means to an end."

"And you're not somebody else's submissive, now?"

"Just my wife's. Although that's a case of mutual submission."

"So, I'm not going to wake up one morning to a front page picture of you collared and naked, kneeling at her feet?"

"No. I can promise you that."

"Or anybody else's feet?"

"Oh no. Ana's feet are the only feet I would willingly kneel at."

Elliot gave an audible sigh. "Thank God." He took a sip of coffee. "So, all that jesting I do about you only knowing enough about sex to fit on a postage stamp?"

"Yes."

"I guess it's a little more, then?"

Christian pursed his lips. "A little more, yes."

"So, what are we talking, here? A sheet of paper, or a whole fucking tablecloth?"

Christian thought for a moment. "I think I could get it on a really _big_ tablecloth."

"You kinky bastard."

"Oh yeah." Christian grinned.


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**Pendragon House, Rock, Cornwall, UK. 12.30pm. Saturday, September 12****th**

Holding Phoebe and looking out of one of the windows of their bedroom to the stunning blue water below, Ana could see the little yellow Rock Ferry making its way back across the estuary from Padstow. Surely Christian and Teddy were on this one? They'd been gone over two hours. How long did it take to go buy some fish for dinner, for heaven's sake? Not that Ana was going to complain about having to spend time watching for her boys out of this window. She looked out over the beautiful Camel River, above which were the soft rolling hills of the English West Country.

They were coming to the end of both their third week and their time here. Next week would see them pack up and return to Seattle. But for now the stresses and strains of the summer were a distant memory.

For the last three weeks it had been just the four of them. No Taylor, no Gail and no Personal Assistants. There was no one to do anything for them; to cook, clean, garden, change the bed sheets or pick up their mess. More than at any time over the last four years they'd been a family here and Ana had loved it.

They did, however, miss the other members of their family; especially little baby Ben who, much to Elliot's chagrin, was perfectly well-behaved and not a little devil. Missed family aside, the second that Ana had stepped into this house again she knew it had been a good use of their money. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but the house just radiated calm out of the walls.

Their bedroom spanned the whole width of the house but still wasn't as big as their bedrooms at home, or at Escala. It was simply furnished with an enormous bed set beneath sturdy oak beams. The first night, Christian had looked up at them and mused that they had 'potential'. It came as no surprise to her that two days later he arrived back from B&Q in Launceston with enough stuff to turn their bedroom into even more of a makeshift playroom. Christian and Ana never travelled anywhere without his 'box of tricks' for the bedroom and the first bit of DIY he did on their new house was install two extremely secure bolts on the door. The last thing they wanted was Teddy wandering in while Mommy was a little… tied up.

Her birthday, two days ago had been magical. It had been spent hanging out on the local beach with her husband and her children. It had been a beautifully warm September day and because British children were all back in school they'd had the place largely to themselves. In her pre-Christian Grey life, she might have thought it the closest she'd ever get to having a private beach. She was now rich enough that if she wanted to, she could buy a beach. But she didn't want one. The only things she wanted was her husband and as many children as Mother Nature chose to bless them with. Anything else was gilding the lily.

It had been two months since her miscarriage and after the dam inside her had broken that night in the rain-soaked parking lot, Christian and she had taken time to work through their grief together. Christian had contacted a local minister and with him, the two of them and the children, they'd held a little ceremony in the garden to mark the baby's brief life. They'd decided to try again in the New Year.

Ana had spent must of those first few days after the storm sleeping and when she had finally felt up to facing the world, Gail had saved the _Seattle Times_ for her. Christian Grey had been front page news, but not in the way that Marnie Moore had expected him to be. He and Elliot were heroes - although there'd been some decidedly un-heroic face-pulling when he'd had a communiqué from the Mayors office because they wanted to honor them both with an award for bravery.

Marnie Moore had been fired from the paper and had confessed that she'd seen Wayne Lincoln set fire to the building, cut the fire alarm cable to the basement and wrap explosive charges around the gas supply pipe. With Christian Grey eluding him, his desire had switched to getting back at Elena. Marnie was charged as an accessory to the attempted murder of the people in the club. All bar two, Elena, and Susannah had escaped relatively unharmed. Susanna had spent two weeks in hospital and would have impaired lung function for the rest of her life. Christian had been to see her once, but Ana had dropped by several times, doing what she could to help speed up several long weeks of recuperation.

With Wayne Lincoln out of the picture and Christian's past returning to where they wanted it to be, life had started to settle. They'd talked, they'd walked and loved each other night and day; making each other a priority. Both of them knew that if they weren't honest with each other and their marriage good and strong, then nothing else in life would be good, either.

The house had been a joy and she'd gotten over her reluctance at spending so much money by spending more; giving the place a fresh coat of paint, choosing furniture from thousands of miles away and getting an interior designer to style it, so that when they'd unlocked the door nearly three weeks go now it was all set up and ready to go. Ana couldn't ever remember three weeks of her life ever being so blissful. Even their honeymoon had had its rough edges where they hadn't known each other very well. But now they just blended seamlessly together. Without the crap of the past to get in their way, life was perfect.

What was also perfect was Christian's new found skill at cooking. He'd cooked her a special birthday meal, which had been the reason for going behind her back and taking a twelve-week advanced Cordon-Bleu cookery class in the first place. He'd never really gotten to grips with cooking and so, in true Christian style, he'd eschewed the basics and gone straight in at the top with semi-professional chefs. It had been Gail that had saved his ass and taught him what he needed to know between each class. Elliot, it turned out, was a naturally gifted chef – much to Christian's annoyance. Christian had intended to cook a big meal at home for everyone for Ana's birthday; but their change of venue yielded an intimate dinner for two, followed by a very intimate bedroom party for two. It had been the perfect end to a very lovely day.

If she was honest she was having a little trouble keeping up with Christian's bedroom parties. At the Coping Together ball she'd confessed that she'd wanted to go further, but she was finding it exhausting. There'd been some points over the last couple of weeks where the preparation had taken so long that she'd almost fallen asleep waiting for him to be done. She wasn't bored, she was plain old tired. Running after two children and running your own home left little energy for bedroom escapades. But he was good at reading her, he knew when she had little left in the tank and when all she wanted was to be loved and held.

The Rock Ferry must have docked by now so Ana headed downstairs to the big kitchen with its Aga, quarry tiled floor and wonky stone walls that looked like they'd been hewn from the same quarry. Ana hadn't gotten around to changing the kitchen fittings yet – pale green wasn't her preferred color - but there was plenty of time for that now that she'd reacquainted herself with the place.

She placed Phoebe in the living room with some toys and shutting the baby gate went to pull some things together for lunch. Surely if he was cooking dinner he'd let her do lunch? He was getting a little controlling over who prepared food now that he'd gotten the hang of cooking. Ana smiled to herself. He would never stop being her Fifty Shades. Even with all the big scary stuff retreating in the rear view mirror, he still had a myriad of foibles that made him what he was. He simply wouldn't be Christian Grey if you took every ounce of the neurotic out of him. But these days he was much better at just hanging and having fun. His purpose in a day had become not about closing seven impossible deals before breakfast, but sitting on the living room floor with a box of Lego and building yet more planes with Teddy and even bigger hangars to put them in.

Teddy was in a phase of his life from which Christian had so many painful memories. It was important to him that his little boy have nothing but good memories. For her part Ana had snapped lots of photos of them. As evidence for Teddy that those years were good and evidence for Christian that he absolutely was not a shitty father. There was no way she was allowing him to ever think of himself in those terms. She hated it on his down days when he allowed himself to once again believe a lie that his head fed him. The photographs were her ammunition against his demons.

There were other little demons, such as the look he'd given her when she'd appeared at Ambrosia in her bra and panties. That had been a hotline back to that man she'd first met; back when he was desperate to control her, protect her and to assert to the world that she was his. Now he was a more relaxed but that maxim remained. What was his was his and Christian Grey did not share.

Ana looked at her watch. Perhaps they weren't on that ferry after all. Or perhaps he'd gone down to the boatyard to check on things for the grand opening tomorrow? She went into the living room and sat down on the floor with Phoebe who was now thirteen months old and extremely close to walking. If Christian didn't come home soon Phoebe would do it and he'd miss it. The little girl was becoming quite practiced at doing things when Christian wasn't looking. Ana pulled out her phone and started to text him, but at that moment the back door exploded open and Teddy careered through it.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"I'm here baby."

He hurled himself at the baby gate. "I wanna go to the harvest."

Ana stood up and pulled Phoebe up into her arms. "The what?"

"The harvest. I wanna go. Tomorrow."

Christian came through the door and placed a large plastic bag on the counter top. His expression was one of excitement.

"You'll never guess."

"What? What's this about Harvest?"

"Lexie's invited us to their Harvest Service at church tomorrow morning."

"Christian Grey in church? That'll be a first in a while."

"Since I was a kid, yes. But that's not the really interesting thing!" His eyes were shining as if he was bursting to tell her the best news, ever. "They're raising money for a farming project in Uganda. Ana, it's Alex's project in Gulu. They've heard about it and they want to support it too!" No wonder he was excited.

Ana kissed him. "Other people want to feed the world? Who knew!" She cupped the side of his face with her hand. "Well, I guess tomorrow will be busy, what with the boatyard opening and now going to church."

Christian looked a little guilty. "Hmm…"

Ana stepped through the gate and Christian took Phoebe from her as she went over to inspect what he'd bought. The bag was full of fish. "Perhaps I'll need to invite everyone from church back here for lunch. Christian, why have you bought all this fish? There are only four of us."

"On the off-chance that people might stop by."

"Who are you expecting, the five thousand? Did you get the loaves, too? I know your name is Christian but I think you're taking the Jesus analogy a little far, here. I hope to God we can get this back to Seattle still frozen." Ana looked at her husband and knew that she was missing something. She rolled her eyes, prompting an arched eyebrow from him. "OK. Shall I guess who's coming to dinner? Is it Rick Stein?"

"No, he can't come. That's why I was late back. I was having coffee with him."

Ana guffawed and then looked at him. "Are you for real? You ran into Rick Stein in Padstow?"

"It's not that hard, Ana. He owns half of the town."

"I know but… Rick Stein! What were you doing, being a fanboy and asking for fish cooking tips?"

Christian went slightly pink.

"Oh my God you were! Who are you and what have you done with my husband?!"

"It's your fault. I was perfectly unhappy in my empty life until you came along with your sweetness and innocence and..." He pressed Phoebe into his chest and covered her other ear with his hand. "Excuse me, but baby girls shouldn't hear this." Christian took a step towards Ana. "… your smart, fuckable mouth," he said softly, inclining his head and kissing her. "And your sweet, wet…"

"Hello! Oops, knock knock. Perhaps I should've done that before I came in." Christian and Ana turned to see their tiny, blonde neighbor Lexie stood in their kitchen. "Sorry, it's just about tomorrow. I forgot to say that in addition to the collection for Alex, it's traditional to bring along some food. Things in tins and packets are best. We send it to the Women's Refuge in Truro."

"OK," said Christian.

"I've been meaning to invite you both ever since you got here, but there's never been the opportunity. Sounds like I picked the right one with Alex?"

"Yes. It's something I know a lot about," said Christian.

"Like boats then?" Lexie smiled.

Christian smirked. "Could say that."

"We'll see you tomorrow," said Ana. "Definitely."

"Great! We meet in the school hall. It's just a few of us. We started our own church after our children got too noisy for the one down the road. It's very casual, just wear your jeans."

With that Lexie disappeared as quickly as she'd appeared in their kitchen.

Ana thought back to when they'd first been here back in February and Christian realized that there was a particular quirk about people living next door to you on the same street. They talked to you. He'd come though the kitchen door on the second day looking ashen-faced.

"We have _neighbors,_" he said, in the same tone he might use to say that they had mice or dry rot in the wood.

Ana laughed at him. Always having lived in such splendid isolation, Christian had never had to deal with living next door to anyone. "Of course we have. Most people do."

"It was a shock!" He continued in mock horror. "She introduced herself and everything. She asked how we were and whether we'd settled in OK. It was horrible, Ana. I had to be completely normal. It was the worst five minutes of my life! We'll have to move or else she'll be round here with jars of… chutney."

Ana snorted. "So what's this fearful woman's name?"

"Lexie. Her husband's called Matt and they've got a little boy of Teddy's age. They'll be playing together soon. Teddy will have normal friends and my reign as a reclusive, despotic, megalomaniac CEO will be over! This is your doing woman! I'll never forgive you for falling into my office and taking my perfectly empty, pointless life and filling it with… fun!" Christian had grabbed her and kissed her, hard. "I love you Mrs. Grey. Even when you maroon me in a land where people speak to each other and invite themselves over on Friday night."

"They're coming here on Friday night?"

"For wine and nibbles. What the fuck is that code for?"

"You invited someone over?" She queried, saying each word slowly.

"No. They invited themselves over."

"And you didn't say no?"

He looked abashed. "She doesn't look like a woman you say no to."

Ana smirked. "You're scared of her?"

Christian furrowed his brow. "She's hard to describe. She's like a tiny, blonde… guided missile."

But Lexi and Matt Gaverigan had turned out to be good people. Especially in Ana's eyes because it gave Christian what she'd felt he'd needed for years, a friend.

Matt Gaverigan was Cornish through and through. He was tall, broad, blonde and bronzed from working outdoors in the boatyard that he owned. Matt hadn't been in the house ten minutes before his and Christian's mutual love of boats had bonded them over their first pint of Doom Bar beer. And it hadn't stopped there. Matt had dreams to build bigger boats. But, for that, he needed a bigger boatyard and the bank had turned him down to buy the old redundant yard down the estuary, where the water was deeper. Ana knew the Bank of Christian Grey would sail to the rescue as soon as he heard Matt's plans. And, nine months later, the old redundant boatyard had been bought, restored, refitted and renamed Gaverigan and Grey. Ana had her little house, Teddy had a friend and Christian had a part-share in a little Cornish boatyard to go with his portfolio of gigantic shipyards worldwide.

With Lexie gone, Ana reminded him of his unfinished sentence.

"I was all agog to hear about my sweet, wet… what?"

"Fish," said Christian.

Ana laughed. "That wasn't the word I was expecting. Fish?"

"Fish," repeated Christian. "You wanted me to explain why I'd bought so much. We're having people over for dinner."

Just then a very loud and very low helicopter went over the house. Ana got a little concerned. Matt and Christian had taken the boys down to the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose last week to watch the Sea King Helicopters. Had he invited the station's commanders for dinner?

Christian was grinning.

"So who's that?"

"My Sous Chef, hopefully."

"You need a Sous Chef? What are you making?"

"A lot of food."

Ana stared at him. "Christian, tell me!"

"All in good time." He grinned.

There was a deep rumble in the lane outside and the hiss of a truck's air brakes being applied.

"What now?" She asked.

"That'll be the dining table."

"We already have a dining table."

Christian shrugged. "We need a bigger dining table."

Between them Phoebe giggled.

Ana narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Are you in on this?"

"Yes she is. She sat on my lap while I arranged it."

"And where was I?"

"In the pub with Lexi, last Friday."

Ana arched an eyebrow at her husband. "Another secret, Christian? I thought we'd agreed that they were generally bad for our marriage?"

"I am never giving up on nice surprises for my wife."

There was a knock at the front door.

Ana stuck out her chin. "I'll get that."

She walked through the house to the front door and opened it to two, smartly-dressed delivery men wearing dark green uniforms.

"Mrs. Grey?"

"Yes."

"We have a delivery from Steele Carpentry for you."

"From…from where?" Ana stuttered.

"Steele Carpentry? In…" The man checked his paperwork. "Montesano, Washington State."

"I…I know where it is…" Ana tailed off, suddenly unsure of herself. She turned slowly around, a little confused. Christian, now divested of Phoebe was walking down the hallway towards her. Her throat was suddenly very dry.

"It's something Ray's been working on for a while," he said as he reached her. "It's for our house in Seattle, but I got it shipped here first. I needed a bigger table for tonight and this one's perfect."

"You shipped a dining table half way around the world from Montesano to Rock?" She laughed. "Christian Grey you have more money than sense!"

"That's not all I shipped from Montesano to Rock," he added and pointed out the door. Ana looked and there, stood behind the men unloading the carefully-wrapped segments of table, was her Dad. "Happy Birthday, darling." Christian whispered.

"Oh my God!" She gasped and ran down the garden path to Ray, flinging her arms around him, burying her face in his neck and suddenly overcome by emotion.

But a loud shout from inside the house from Christian broke off her greeting and had her running full-tilt back inside to where Christian was standing at the baby gate into the living room.

Ana couldn't see the problem. Teddy was adding another wing to his latest hangar for yet another plane and Phoebe was in the corner by the sofa. And then she saw it. Phoebe wasn't holding on. Their daughter had taken her first steps.

"I came in and she was doing it." Christian sounded heartbroken.

"We both missed it." Ana wound her arm around his waist and Christian did the same to her.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on, Phoebes?" Christian asked, sadly. "You doing things behind my back?"

"Get used to it," said Ray who'd followed them in. "If she's anything like her mother I'd stick a GPS tracker on her right now."

Ana gave an incredulous laugh. "I was a good kid!"

"Oh really? And who was it who thought it was a good idea to hike to Hoquiam on a whim, and then had to be rescued from Elma, when she realized she'd gone off in the wrong direction?"

"OK, so there was that."

"And the sleepout at Schafer?"

"Ah… OK. Guilty."

"And what about your promise that you wouldn't marry the first guy that you met?"

"Dad, I was fourteen!" Ana laughed.

"OK. I admit. That one worked out just fine."

Ana looked at her husband. "It did." She smiled.

Over in the corner Phoebe Grey fell down, crawled to the sofa, got back up and tried walking again.

"Yes, you're getting a GPS tracker fitted," murmured Christian.

"Hey," said Ray. "You want to come look at the table I made?"

Christian led the way into the large conservatory where the delivery men were carefully unpacking each segment. Above them another helicopter flew low over the house and through the clear glass ceiling, Ana saw it was maroon.

Carefully, Ray put each segment in place, creating an enormous, circular table, that was not only beautiful adorned with an intricate highly-polished inlaid decoration; but technically brilliant. It could be cut down to a smaller table that seated ten; but at its fullest extent it could seat twenty people; with a moveable section for serving dishes that could be pushed along by hand. Ray said he'd gotten the idea from a Sushi bar.

Ana was stunned. "You've been to a Sushi bar?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Who twisted your arm to do that?"

"Linda." Ray went ever so slightly pink.

Ana's mouth popped open. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Her Dad gave the tiniest of nods.

"I have never seen anything so beautiful. Ray Steele you're amazing," said a voice that for a second Ana couldn't place and then her brain made the connection. She span round.

"Mom!" And behind her was stood Bob.

Ana looked at Christian and then back at her Mom before throwing herself into her arms. Christian Grey may have more money than sense, but sometimes what he could do with that money made perfect sense. She kissed her Mom and Bob and then Christian several times before Ray appeared back with a shy-looking lady in her mid 40s on his arm.

"Ana? Christian? May I introduce my… girlfriend, Linda Rainer."

Ana felt like her heart would burst with happiness. Her Dad had found someone after all this time. And her first trip to meet his stepdaughter and her family had meant a journey of nearly 5000 miles.

"I am so pleased to meet you!" said Ana.

"Me too," replied Linda, finding her voice. "And thank you for the trip to London," she said.

Ana looked at Christian and he gave an amused shrug. "You're welcome," she said to Linda, lamely. Oh the things he did behind her back!

"Did somebody call for a Sous Chef?" A loud and very familiar voice came from the door of the conservatory. Ana didn't need to guess who'd arrived. Elliot was leaning against the door frame eyeing the simple elegance of the glass and white wood conservatory. "Neat place you have here, Ana. Tiny, but neat. Will we all fit in?"

"How many of you came?"

"I'm cooking for eighteen."

"No, _I'm_ cooking for eighteen. You're helping me," asserted Christian.

"Eighteen?" gawped Ana.

Christian nodded. "Carla, Bob, Ray, Linda, You, Me, Teddy, Phoebe, Elliot, Kate, Ava, Mom, Dad, Ethan, Mia, Ben, Paulette…"

"Paulette? I don't know anyone called Paulette."

"If you let me finish," Christian eyed her. "And Paulette's boyfri…"

"Look who I found walking up the street!" Kate shrieked and ran into the conservatory dragging someone behind her. She thrust him in front of her and for a moment Ana's brain was blank. And then he smiled and Ana knew exactly who it was.

"José!"

"We were in the neighborhood." He smiled. "Christian asked us to drop by."

"In the _neighborhood_? Did he fly you in from Seattle, too?"

"No, we drove up from Exeter."

"What? How? Why?"

"Paulette's starting a Master's Degree there next month." Jose looked around and from behind Kate appeared a pretty young woman with the front of her long, straight golden hair piled up into a 50s-style quiff. Her dress sense was decidedly Bohemian.

"Another photographer?" Ana asked.

"No, she's an Engineer." José smiled. "It's where all the cool girls are."

"You're not pursuing photography?"

"Yes. I met her at my New York exhibition last spring. She's an Engineer who's into photography. There was a… connection." He smiled as if he was on cloud nine.

"But why Exeter? Why not do a Masters in America?" Ana asked.

Kate asked Paulette a question and the answer became patently clear. She was British.

"You're dating a Brit?" Ana asked.

"I know! I hate tea." José griped.

Ana smiled and felt Christian's arms around her as one by one the other members of the family filed into the conservatory, greeted them and marveled at the beautifully crafted table.

"And José?" Ana eyed Christian. "How come he's here?"

"Paulette Statham is the daughter of a Property Developer that I'm talking to. Her father is a keen photographer and thinks José's a fabulous talent. He showed me José's website and pulled up a picture of this amazing woman; all brunette hair and teeth biting her bottom lip." Christian smirked. "He had no idea that he'd shown me a picture of my own wife. And besides, José doesn't want into your panties anymore."

"Thank goodness for that."

"He's getting in…"

"Christian!" Ana laughed and shook her head.

Carrick had Teddy on his shoulders and for once Teddy wasn't holding a plane. He has a small blue helicopter instead.

Christian did a double-take. "Hey, that's... Ted, can Daddy take a look at that, please?" Teddy held out the helicopter and Christian went to take it. But Teddy cheekily snatched it back.

"Mine!"

"It used to be your Daddy's," said Carrick. "Why don't you let him look at it?"

"Daddy got a big helicopter."

"He has. But he used to have that helicopter." Said Carrick.

"I lost it," said Christian, in a small voice.

"We found it in the closet in Elliot's room. We're remodeling."

"You _bastard!_" called Christian to his brother. "You did take it!"

"What?" said Elliot coming over.

"My helicopter. You did steal it! I knew it was you. Dad found it in your closet."

"Bastard." said Teddy.

"Thanks Christian," groaned Ana and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't you need to go cook some fish?"

"Yes. With Mr. Helicopter thief."

Elliot laughed. "I honestly don't remember doing that."

"Well, what was my helicopter doing in your closet?"

"Your helicopter? Oh that was me," said Mia, coming over. "That was payback for you tying my doll to the banister."

"That all of you ended up mostly well-adjusted adults sometimes amazes me," sighed Carrick. "Who ties a doll to a banister, for crying out loud?"

"Oh!" said Elliot, suddenly remembering. "Was that us playing _Scooby Do?_ Oh yeah. Your doll was Daphne."

"_Scooby Do?"_ said Mia. She looked at Christian apologetically. "Oops, sorry. I thought you were torturing her."

"So, is that twenty years of therapy I can bill you for, Mia?" sid Christian.

She paled.

"Or, perhaps you can join Elliot and myself in the kitchen and we can show you how to cook some fish?"

"May I remind you that I trained under Monsieur Floubert in Paris."

"Yes, but he's not known for fish. I think you'll find that Mr. Stein from across the water in Padstow is the acknowledged expert. We're doing it his way. Come on Mia," chided Christian. "All three of us in a kitchen cooking a meal, what could possibly go wrong…?" He grinned.

"Did you ever hear the saying 'too many cooks?'" said Grace, looking a little perturbed.

"It's OK Mom." said Christian. "Bodmin Hospital is only half an hour away. And besides, you know that both Elliot and I can do CPR."

"OK." Said Grace, reluctantly. "I'll eat what you cook. Now, excuse me. Carla and I need to go and have some serious Grandma girl-time with Phoebe and Ava."

Elliot grabbed Mia and hauled her off to the kitchen, while Ethan, Ben and Teddy went off with Carrick, Teddy holding the little blue helicopter high above his head. Christian watched them go and Ana looked at her husband. He looked as if he were a million miles away. Thinking back to being a small boy with a toy helicopter.

She touched his arm. "Hey," she said softly. "Earth to Christian?"

He looked down at her, exhaling a breath that seemed to take with it the stress of years. He smiled, his big, gorgeous, carefree smile that was impossible to resist. He may have controlled women by dominating them in the past, but that smile was all it took to make her putty in his hands.

"Thank you." She said simply.

He put his arms around her. "You told me that all you wanted for your birthday was your family. I hope you don't mind that I interpreted it a little differently."

"Not at all," she said and reached up to kiss him.

"I have to go cook now."

"That's not something I'd ever thought I'd hear you say. How much you've changed in four years, Mr. Grey."

"And it's all your fault."

Ana smiled. "But you're happier, yes?"

"Undoubtedly."

"You sleep better?"

"Yes."

"You have friends?"

Christian thought about that for a moment and gave a hesitant "Yes."

"And you have… more?"

He nodded.

"Then my work is done here."

Christian pulled her closer. "Oh no you don't." He said, his eyes turning to darkest slate and igniting the fire within her. His voice dropped to a low growl. "I may have changed out of all recognition from the man you first met, but you so much as take one step away from me Mrs. Grey, and I'll have you bound to a bed quicker than you can say Mary Poppins."

"Good." She whispered back. "I'm glad to see that some things never change."

"You. Are. _Mine_." He whispered.

"Always." She said and kissed him.


	36. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Grey House, 8.30am, Monday September 21****st**

"And, this is your office."

Her new P.A., Kelly, stepped aside to let her see the huge corner office.

"I've put your books and things out, as best I can."

Susannah Moss looked around at her neatly-ordered legal texts and the few personal items that she used to decorate her office. "Thank you," she said to Kelly. Having her own P.A. would take some getting used to. _Strike that_, she thought. Everything about this job would take some getting used to.

Susannah walked up to the window and looked down at the morning traffic in the busy street below. She leant forward, her head touching the glass and turned to her right but even being much higher than she was before, she couldn't see where she'd come from, a block away at Lane, Neill and O'Driscoll.

"Mr Grey will see you for coffee at eight forty five, ahead of the meeting with Tony Statham. He's one floor above." Kelly pointed to the ceiling. "He sent the flowers."

On her desk were a beautifully-arranged bunch of flowers in the red and gold colours of September.

"I must remember to thank him." Susannah smiled. Kelly Jones could have no idea of the myriad of emotions that went into Susannah's smile, but the woman interpreted it wrongly.

"Yeah." Kelly admitted. "We're all in love with him. I'm… curious. Do you remember anything about him saving your life?"

It wasn't only flowers and a kick-ass new job which Susannah needed to thank Christian for. "No. I don't."

"Pity. We're all desperate to know what he feels like to kiss."

For all her many months as his submissive, Susannah couldn't answer that. He'd never kissed her on the mouth and to her knowledge there was only one person he ever had. "I'll ask his wife for you," she replied.

Kelly blushed. "Oh, no, it's OK. We're better off not knowing. Productivity would truly grind to a halt if we could better imagine that. Anyway, you're having coffee with him shortly, so I guess you won't want one now?"

"No, thank you."

"I'll leave you to get settled. After your meeting with Tony Statham we can talk more about how you like things done."

Kelly closed the door and Susannah sat in the plush leather chair. She had been appointed as GEH's new Chief Legal Advisor. Christian Grey would seek out and value _her opinion_ and that was something she needed to stop and take a moment to think about. A bubble of a laugh escaped her. Sometimes how life worked out was even more implausible than any film or book.

From her bag she took her iPad. An interesting email had arrived this morning. It came with a photograph taken at Six Flags last week, of the members of The Red Audi Owners' Club - all fifteen women who'd had contracts with Christian Grey. And now she had a quite different contract with him.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said.

She was surprised to see men's shoes when she was expecting Kelly's heels. She ran her eyes up the length of the man's body and found that it ended in the face of Christian Grey.

"Good morning," he said.

"Oh, I thought I was coming to you?" Susannah was a little confused.

"You are, but I didn't know how tired you got, walking. So I came down for you."

"That's very kind. And thank you for the flowers."

"You're welcome."

"I could've made it," she said.

"I'm glad to hear it. But I do have an ulterior motive. Olivia is taking delivery of yet another intern. I'm going through them at a rate of about one a week and I don't think it's worth me learning their names anymore."

"I heard from Ana that Andrea chose not to come back. I'm sorry."

"Yes." Christian said sadly. "But it's for the best. She has her own demons to deal with and she doesn't need mine in her head while she does it. But I still can't bring myself to get a permanent replacement." He picked at a fingernail. "Shall we go?"

Susannah rose from her seat, picked up her iPad and from her bag grabbed a notebook and pen. She walked around the desk and Christian held out his arm for her. She shook her head.

"I'm not an invalid. I'll be fine if we walk slowly."

"OK."

They left her office and Susannah noticed Kelly's flushed face. She smiled and set off with Christian, walking at a sedate pace to the elevator.

"Did you have a good vacation?" She asked.

"Yes. I didn't want to come back into the office this morning," he admitted. "A month away from here was good. We needed some family time. It was a very bruising summer."

"Yes. I would agree."

"And you're up to this? I don't mean work-wise, I mean your health? If you need more time or you need to work part-time, then just say the word."

"I'm fine, Mr Grey. Really."

"Call me Christian, please."

Susannah paused and looked at him.

Christian shrugged. "That was… a long time ago. You're part of my core team now and I'm not the man I was. Ana's seen to that. So, will you?"

"OK. And in return you can call me Susannah."

"Not Susie?" He arched an eyebrow.

"No. That's reserved for a few close family and friends."

Christian laughed. "Just throw my old life back in my face, why don't you?"

"OK, then. You can call me Susie."

"Thank you."

They walked on.

"So, I hear that you and Scott McDowell at the _Seattle Times_ are dating."

"It's early days, but yes, we are."

"Dating?"

"Dating. With me not having much capacity for great exertion, we'll have to find… another way."

"Speaking from experience, Miss Moss, I can highly recommend finding another way."

"Thank you. I am similarly optimistic."

"And Ana told me you went down to Six Flags last week?"

"Yes I did. Have you ever been?"

"No."

"You should take Ana."

"Perhaps I will." Christian put his hands in his pants pockets. "She said you went with some friends. Fourteen friends to be precise."

Susannah pressed the button to call the elevator. "Did she tell you what we call ourselves?"

"The Red Audi Owners' Club?"

"We thought it sounded better than the…" She looked around. "Sub Club."

Christian gazed at his shoes. "They're all OK?"

The elevator doors opened and they stepped in. Christian pressed the button for floor 20.

"They're all fine. Do you want to see a picture? Janey forwarded it to me this morning."

"Like pictures haven't gotten me into enough trouble this summer."

"Well, this one's pretty harmless." Susannah swiped her iPad called up her email and opened the picture. She handed it to him.

Christian Grey looked silently at the picture of his past as the elevator slowed to a halt and the doors opened. He ambled out and stood in the reception area outside his office staring at the photograph of fifteen happy, smiling women. He put down the cover and handed the iPad back to her.

"Thank you," he said a little croakily. His eyes held some unfathomable emotion that she couldn't read. He cleared his throat. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes please."

"Olivia? Can you bring some coffee through to my office, please?" He looked up and down the large sandstone desk. "Where's the new girl?"

"In your closet."

"What's she doing in there? We don't give interns such personal work." He snapped.

"I know," she sighed. "But apparently it's not how you like it."

"No it isn't, but…" He tailed off, stared at Olivia and a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "Andrea's here?"

Olivia nodded, grinning. She'd already shifted into the other seat to make way for her.

"She's my new intern?"

"Yes."

"Well… I'd better introduce myself. Could you get Susannah some coffee, please?"

Christian strolled into his office and as silently as he could, pushed open the door on his bathroom. His shoes were pulled out and a woman was on her hands and knees, half in and half out of the closet. She was wearing a grey pencil skirt, black high-heeled shoes and the scarlet soles of her Louboutins matched her scarlet blouse. She knelt back, put down a cloth and a can of polish, picked up his spare shoes and replaced them on the cleaned shelf. He let the door go and the hinge gave a little squeak.

"Olivia, I'm pretty sure I left detailed instructions about how this place was to be kept. Being his P.A isn't just about firing off emails and booking his appointments, you know?" Andrea grabbed his gym shoes. "It's everything, from handling his schedule all the way down to his shorts." There was silence and it was clear that Andrea was expecting a reply. "Do you hear me?"

Christian grinned. "I'm reassured to know that my shorts are being so expertly handled."

Andrea Parker hurriedly reversed out of Christian's closet. Her face was as scarlet as her shirt. She scrambled to her feet and straightened her skirt. Several sections of her blonde hair had escaped from her chignon. For Andrea's standards she looked a wreck and it wasn't even 9am yet.

"I thought you hated me?"

"I don't hate you. I just don't understand you. But then again I never did, so no change there."

"Why are you here?"

"I miss my job. I miss my friends. I miss… you."

"But you have issues with me?"

"I have bills. They're bigger issues."

"But you're an intern. Why?"

"Because I resigned. Yes, it's the biggest mistake I ever made and being your intern is a way back in. It was Luke who told me that another girl had left on Friday. I called Erica at home and she told me to come in today because it would save her the job of looking for someone else. So, here I am, your new intern, if you'll have me?"

"No…"

"OK." Andrea's quick reply was barely audible. "I'll get my stuff."

She bent to pick up the cloth and can of polish, held herself as upright as she could manage and, keeping her eyes on the floor, walked past him out into his office. She replaced the polish and the cloth in the cupboard and from another, took out her coat and bag.

She gave a quick nod to Olivia and then went to call the elevator. It took what seemed like forever to reach the twentieth floor. But finally the doors slid open to reveal Elliot and Ana Grey, Tony Statham, Jason Taylor and her own boyfriend, Luke Sawyer.

Andrea stood aside to let them out. Luke turned to look at her questioningly, but she didn't acknowledge him. She got into the elevator, pressed the button for the first floor and tried to hide herself in the corner. The doors slid shut and whisked Andrea down to total humiliation.

On the first floor she got out and her prized Louboutin heels seemed to be nailing her coffin shut with every tap they made on the polished floor. Down the hall she could see Cassie on the main desk and David and Bill the two security guys. Only a few minutes ago she'd talked with them about how glad she was to be back. But now here she was, making the Walk of Shame. Each step made her heart break a little more and it became harder to see where she was going from the tears swimming in her eyes.

Andrea didn't see the man exit another elevator ahead of her, with a face set like flint. He walked straight at her and as he reached her, he bent slightly, scooped her up around her thighs, threw her over his shoulder and strode back into the elevator that she had just vacated.

He pressed the button for the twentieth floor and only when the elevator was moving did he put her down. Christian Grey was not a happy man.

"As I was saying, before you so rudely walked off; I don't want you as my intern, because you know that I don't allow interns to handle my shorts. And I want you to handle my shorts. Because it's taken two P.A's and six interns to appreciate how well you handle my shorts, my schedule and in general, the whole shit around here. I employ the best people and you, Andrea Mary Parker, are the best P.A. in Seattle. For that I will pay you whatever you demand. Your title from now on will be Executive Assistant and your working hours will be 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Is that OK?"

For a beat there was no sound but the elevator machinery.

"Yes." Andrea replied, stifling the urge to launch herself at him and kiss him with gratitude.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open on the busy reception area.

"Good. Now, take your coat off, get behind that desk and manage the shit out of me. I have a busy day."

"Yes, Mr Grey."

The two of them got out of the elevator and Andrea strode over to her seat wearing a smile that could power the sun. Luke collected a kiss from her as she passed.

Christian made a beeline for Ana who was talking to Susannah.

"How's working for a living, instead of hanging round the boatyard, getting in Matt's way?" she asked.

Christian tugged at the white collar of his shirt. "Horrible, this thing feels tight."

Ana looked at his stomach, which didn't sit as flat as it used to and the waistband of his pants, which was under a little strain. She smirked and patted his stomach gently. "I think Cornwall had side effects."

Christian looked rueful. "You could be right."

In Christian's office the group settled themselves on the white leather sofas. Tony had set up his laptop and connected it to the projector. He gave a nod to Christian.

"Elliot, Ana. I've asked you here today because our businesses all have one thing in common. They need more space. You're already looking for new premises, Elliot. Ana's staff are having to office share and I've pretty much filled Grey House. Tony's got a project in the pipeline for a new complex in Seattle and I'd like the two of you to come in on it with me."

Tony brought up the artists impression of the multi-level skyscraper, which from the look of it filled an entire block.

"Grey Plaza," said Christian.

Ana was speechless and Elliot's mouth dropped open.

"What do you think?" Christian asked, anxious. Across from him Susannah was also looking at it in awe.

"How…big is that?" asked Elliot.

"It's not tall, the main section is only eight hundred feet, but underneath, it has an array of facilities from a shopping mall, a central courtyard garden, movie theatre, restaurants, parking, you name it, it's got it," said Tony in his distinctive British accent.

"And where the fuck are you planning to build that?"

"On 4th Avenue." said Tony.

"What? You'll never get it passed." Elliot looked at his brother and noticed a look in his eye. "Oh… It already has."

"It was going to be Jared Baker's. I called Tony when Jared ran into difficulties a few weeks back to say that if he needed finance to give me a call. And he did."

"Grey _Plaza,_ huh? Is there no end to your empire?" Elliot grinned.

"It's for you and Ana, too. For Mia if she wants to set up a business in there and Dad if he wants to relocate his law practice. But all GEH's divisions will operate from here."

"And Mom? Will you be building her the Christian Grey Memorial Hospital?"

"I'm trying not to be dead just yet, Elliot."

Elliot exhaled a whistle through his teeth. "It's a huge thing. I gotta think about it."

"Well, do that. But don't talk about it." He turned to his wife. "Ana?"

"Build it and I'll move in."

Christian grinned. "Thank you. Susannah, can you get in touch with Ana's legal team and start the ball rolling?"

"Sure."

"What are you going to do with this place?" Elliot pointed at the ceiling.

"Eagle Pacific Holdings are interested."

"Ros's company?" asked Ana.

"Yes."

"How's she doing?"

"She's doing well. Too well. I now have some serious competition. She knows how I work, I know how she works and we both get interested in the same things."

"Sounds like someone for Ana to get worried about?" cautioned Elliot.

Ana laughed. "You really don't know Ros if you think she'd be interested in Christian."

"Likes blondes does she?" said Elliot, theatrically tossing his head so his blonde curls bounced.

"Women, yes," said Christian and smirked while his brother looked embarrassed.

With Elliot and Tony gone and Susannah also heading back to her office, Christian slowly walked Ana to the elevator.

"Did you have a coat?" he asked.

She laughed.

"What?"

"I just got the most incredible sense of déjà vu. I think you've walked me to this elevator and asked that once before."

"Perhaps I did."

"You did," said Olivia. "I remember that."

Christian arched an eyebrow at his Personal Assistant. "You remember that?"

"It's seared onto our brains," said Andrea, sardonically. " Mr _Cancels-his-next-meeting-on-a-whim-just-so-he-can- spend-more-time-with-Miss-Steele_, Grey." She stared at him.

Christian stared back and Andrea stuck her tongue out at him.

"Miss Parker, I may have to reconsider your appointment. Perhaps you may enjoy a spell with the building's janitors? After all, you've already proved yourself adept at cleaning out my closet."

"She cleaned out your closet?" asked Ana. "Did you find anything interesting in there?"

"No. Just a lack of shorts."

"I expect you to give my shorts your full attention."

"I'll get right on it, after I've actioned your latest plans for world-domination."

"Good." He turned his attention back to Ana. "Now, where were we?"

"You were putting on my coat and seeing me to the elevator."

"Back then, did I call it for you?"

"I think you did."

Christian pressed the button to summon the elevator. Beneath them the machinery rumbled to life, bringing the metal box up to the twentieth floor.

He stole a soft kiss. "Do you have time for lunch at Escala today?" he murmured.

As he watched, Ana deliberately bit her lip. "Morning, noon and night? You're insatiable.

"I need the exercise. My wife tells me I'm getting fat."

"She did not. You're merely a little squidgy in the middle from all that full-on Cornish relaxation."

"Precisely why I need some exercise."

"Let Claude put you through your paces."

He kissed her ear lobe. "I'd rather put you through yours." He whispered.

She smiled and ran the flat of her hand over his chest. "But it's our first day back." Next to them the elevator doors slid open. "And I have a mountain of paperwork."

He stared at the empty elevator and then quirked an eyebrow at her. "Will you say it or shall I?"

Ana flung her bag into the elevator. "Oh fuck the paperwork!" She growled.

They fell on each other and into the elevator. Out of sight of the two women there was a dull clang as somebody, they couldn't see who, got pushed up against the polished steel. The doors closed and the machinery whisked the couple away. Behind their sandstone desk, Olivia Lucas sat dumbstruck.

"I definitely don't remember that," said Olivia in a strangled voice. "I'm pretty sure he just said her name or something. But that was _hot_!"

"Whatever." Andrea clicked on Christian's schedule. "So much for his busy day. I guess I'd better block out the rest of it, re-arrange his meetings and call Hannah down at Grey Publishing." Andrea gave a fond sigh and picked up the phone. "Something tells me they won't be back."

**The End **

* * *

**Thank you's...**

...To you for reading  
...To everyone who left a review, I loved reading your speculations about what was going to happen  
... To Spooky Mehta for beta comments, without whom this would have been a far weaker story  
... and for E L James for writing a character in CG that I couldn't let go.

The last line of this story is pretty poignant for me as, although you should never say never, I'm not planning on writing more FSOG stories. This is because I was in the middle of writing my own first original novel when my plotlines were hijacked by re-reading FSOG and I just HAD to write something. But, please keep in touch through Twitter or Facebook - the links are on my profile.

Laters Baby  
Rachel x


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